At 02:48 PM 4/30/97 -0400, you wrote:
>At our small, shallow lake in the woods on the Gig Harbor Peninsula, the
>caretaker reported there have been two river otters and that the number of
>ducks, mostly Wood Ducks and Mallards, has dropped significantly. I don't
>remember having heard of river otters in this area. Does anyone know if their
>numbers have increased in our area, or is it just bad luck that they were
>recognized at the same time the duck population dropped?
>
I'm not sure about otters, but I seem to remember they will take what they
can catch. Big mouth bass are also predators on young waterfowl. Opossums
sometimes raid nests and will take what doesn't move but raccoons are much
better at catching young ducklings at night - I've had them taken up to 11
or 12 weeks of age.

Mink, weasel and the like are also predators of waterfowl.

Peggi
Ben & Peggi Rodgers
Aptos, CA (near Santa Cruz 122 W, 37 N)
USA
woodduck at cruzio.com


"A bird does not sing because it has an answer,
It sings because it has a song"