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We were riding along the North Thompson River in mid-afternoon when sharp-eyed Sarah spotted
movement on the far bank. An otter slid down the bank into the still water near shore.

It climbed out and repeated the exercise, then it just relaxed and floated in the river. It seemed to
be floating on it's back with it's paws on it's chest. At a distance we couldn't be sure.
Has anyone seen or know if otters do this?

Also, our first hummingbird returned on April 26. There he was staring through the dining
room window asking "So where is the hummer feeder now"?

submit sightings

On the morning of Tuesday, December 27, 2000 at 11 am, Sarah spotted a male robin in our yard.
He was up in the top of our big willow tree, and he was just bursting forth with the springtime song that robins do.

As you know, the weather was just above freezing after two weeks of rigorous and snowy weather and
temperatures to -30C.  Is he a holdover, or an early returnee?

He will still be in the valley. Keep your eyes open and report sightings the
Wildlife watch on the ntvalley.com web site. submit sightings.

The normal first sighting for us is right at the end of March.

Western Grebe Rescued by Local Residents submitted by Ed and Sarah ShooK

Sarah and Ed Shook were riding, rounding up some cows, when the cows discovered a creature in the tall hay.
There was a lot of commotion and hissing going on. They drove the cows off and discovered a remarkable bird
upside down. It had a foot-long, snake-like neck and a rapier beak and was trying to defend itself. It was about
three pounds, 30 inches long, with a white breast and neck, a dark back and remarkable scarlet eyes.

Sarah dismounted and carefully picked it up to examine it. It was uninjured, but because the legs were so far
back on the body it could not stand. The toes were webbed, as opposed to webbed feet.

Ed led the horses, and Sarah carried the bird down to the river. When it heard the running water, it became
very excited. Sarah set it in the water, it paused, made eye contact for two seconds, then in a blink it disappeared.
It surfaced out in mid-stream and then vanished.

They found that it is a Western Grebe. Like loons, grebes cannot walk and can't take off on land. Therefore,
if they are stranded beyond belly-scooting distance from water, they are helpless.

Fortunately they came along before the resident coyotes

We would love to hear about your encounters with wildlife in the North Thompson Valley. 
We welcome your stories and photos to be used on our "Wildlife Watch" page. 
To submit your stories, use our online form submit content.

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Last Modified:  June 26, 2007