Otters in Branford!!

Yes Virginia, there are otters in Branford.  I saw them today with my very own eyes.

I was in a “I don’t want to run 3 hours today funk”, but I put on my running clothes and told my two older children that I would bring them to school.  This got me out of the house and going in the right direction at an early hour.  Sadie and I dropped the kids off before 7:30 and headed over to the Van Wie Property of the Branford Land Trust that is over off Red Hill Rd. near Exit 56.  We planned to run through several Land Trust properties past the quarry and into Westwoods, where we would do the Bimbler’s Bash and then return back.  We were about 20 minutes into our run and we were approaching Quarry Rd. from the west through the Brooks Kelley Preserve.  As we rounded a corner going downhill, we saw two otters running from the marsh that abuts the quarry and is a short distance from the road.  I stopped where I was and kept Sadie by my side and watched the otters loping along on land trying to get to a place to hide.  They were full grown otters and they were about as long as Sadie is from snout to the tip of her tail.  I was so surprised to see them that I didn’t think to take out my camera phone and snap a picture of them until they had gone into the brush.  With phone now in hand I had to tell somebody of my great discovery, so I called Gretchen and told her.  She was excited, but I was at a different level.  I was at the “I saw Bigfoot” level of excitement.  I’m thinking I have to make an endangered species report to some one.  Who? Connecticut DEP?  I don’t know.  As I continued my run I had plenty of time to think and I thought I better not go off half cocked before I do some research.  People might think I was crazy or something.

So when I got home, I did look up the river otter on the DEP website and found out that there is a healthy population in Connecticut.  I found out they range for about 50 miles and continually move within that range, and that they are mainly nocturnal but it isn’t abnormal for them to be out in daylight.  Oh well, shut off the news cameras and stop the printing presses with the headline “Runner Finds Rare Species in Branford”.  I guess they aren’t as rare as my wandering mind had made them.  However, it was amazing to see such beautiful animals, and seeing them in that location means the land is healthy.

Needless to say I was out of my running funk for the rest of my run after the “rare” animal sighting.  Every run can be an adventure, so get out there and run.  You never know what you’ll come across.  I’m keeping my eyes peeled for Bigfoot.

Bounce