River Otters in WMNF area?

[Becca M]

I've been thinking lately about river otters. After checking out this article:

http://www.nhfishandwildlife.com/weasels.php

it sounds as though they are in the larger rivers. I would guess they are in areas closer to the coast. Has anyone seen any evidence (sliding tracks, etc.) of them in the smaller rivers like ones common in the WMNF?

 

[ColdRiverRun]

I'm a little confused, maybe because of being in NY but Otters are quite common. Don't get thrown by the "River" part it is just a separation from Sea otters.

 

[grouseking]

Very cool article. Out of all of these, I've only seen a fisher...of all things, one that is least commonly seen.

I bet there are river otters in some of the larger rivers coming out of the whites, the the Pemi, Saco, Androscoggin, maybe even the Swift river... Not sure about some of the smaller tributaries.

 

[gaiagirl]

If you happen to be in the Chocorua area, the millpond right on Rte. 16 in Chocorua Village is a spot where they're often seen in winter. Also in the Conway area, on Rte. 113 in Madison is Upper Peqwacket Pond; I see them on the ice there every winter. Can't think of a place where I've seen them in the WMNF proper.

 

[psmart]

the millpond right on Rte. 16 in Chocorua Village is a spot where they're often seen in winter.

I've seen them above the dam a number of times in December. They seem to like the partial ice cover, perhaps for protection. Stand by the shore for a minute and look for their wake.

 

[peakbagger]

I used to see signs of them in Berlin on the old course of the river that runs right through town. I dont walk up there anymore so I dont know if they are still there.

I also have seen a couple of them crossing the road near Lincoln Woods many years ago.

 

[Jason Berard]

I've seen slides along the lower section of the Dry River Trail, before the bridge.

 

[Andrew]

They are the wildlife I saw most often beside snowshoe hare and moose last winter.

West Milan Trail along the Upper Ammonoosuc seemed to be a hotspot as well as Nash Stream.

 

[Breeze]

I saw my first one ever last summer not in the WMNF proper, but crossing Rt 2 in Shelburne-- leaving a little kettle pond near the wood chipping plant and crossing over to the Androscoggin.

Very interesting critters with a graceful undulating motion even on land.

Breeze

 

[Becca M]

Cool info!!!! I *really* want to see one!!!!! (in the wild)

 

[Fisher Cat]

In the late 70's and into the 80's there were slides they made along the Israel River in Jefferson. Never saw them at work and play, but certainly would have loved to.

 

[Lefty E]

Used to see them all the time on the Androscoggin/Chickwolnepy watershed and have seen a single one, three times I can recall, crossing Rt. 3 near Gale River Rd getting to the beaver dams on the north side..

 

[MichaelJ]

I seem to recall Periwinkle's dogs getting a thrashing from otters in the Thornton area about 6 or 7 years ago.

 

[peakbagger]

An otter encounter story for you

Several years ago I did an ocean paddle off of Freeport Maine. When paddling along the seacoast, seals are quite curious and will swim up and bob their heads out of the water quite close to the boat. After awhile they become sort of "routine" and you tend not to pay a lot of attention to them. The next weekend, I and a couple of other folks were paddling on Flagstaff Lake in Maine in the north section. As we paddled along the shore about 100 feet out, I saw a head pop up and bob about just like the seals I saw the prior weekend. It took me a bit to process that there werent any fresh water seals in Maine. About that time, two other smaller heads popped up and the family of otters watched us as we paddled by.

By the way, some old time fishermen did not like otters as they claimed they ate all the fish.

 

[LarryD]

I have seen them while fishing in the Ellis, Saco and Swift rivers. There are also several of them living in Pequawket Pond in Conway. On one of the warm days in November, I saw three of them sunning themselves on a neighbor's dock. If you want to see them in a less-than-wilderness setting they can often be seen from West Main Street in Conway (where there is usually some open water year-round at the pond inlet) or from Tasker Hill Road, in front of the Legion Hall.

 

[brianW]

I used to see them in the Millers River in Winchendon and Athol, MA. Right in the center of town. Also, I have spotted them swimming in the Augusta (GA) Canal. They are very comfortable living in city/towns. My suggestion is find a trail/old railroad bed near a river and take a ski/hike/snowshoe, look for their slides and an eye on the ice. Good luck. Shoot you may find some other critters during your quest.

 

[TDawg]

Awesome sighting

A couple summers ago, my father and I took a river trip down the Andro from the dam in Shelburne all the way to Bethel. Along the way, somewhere around the state line, there was a crash through the brush followed by a splash into the river. Turns out a bear had been chasing an otter and her pups (?) into the river. The otter in the picture was making a hissing sound in our direction as we floated by in our canoe. Still one of the coolest wildlife sightings I've had. The bear didn't see us at first, but when he/she did it took off. The family of otters moved quite effortlessly through the water, of course.

I'd highly recommend this trip. Great scenery and the river was very quiet. The outfitter in Bethel offers shorter trips than the one we chose, which was the longest. I think it took around 6 hours. The owner was very friendly and was the one who drove us to the put in at Shelburne.