Evan took this back in 2018 in Ludington from about 30 feet away. He said he didn’t feel threatened because the bear was doing its own thing. Check out his most popular photos on Flickr.
1. They’re good fishers Otters spend most of their life around water, and fish typically make up the majority of their diet. These members of the weasel family travel vast distances along waterways and over land to fish other areas. They’re good explorers, often setting up multiple dens away from their homes to find the best fishing spots.
2. They’re good swimmers River otters’ sinuous, streamlined bodies and long tails propel them through water with ease. They can turn on a dime while swimming, and hold their breath underwater for up to eight minutes. With populations in nearly every state in the U.S., their thick, warm and waterproof coats allow them to swim in very cold environments.
3. They have fun River otters are playful animals, and as far as we can tell, they’re often having a good time — swimming, fishing, sliding, wrestling, chasing each other, and just generally having a blast. We hope to be so lucky this summer!
4. They play a key role in aquatic ecosystems River otters need clean, watery habitat with plenty of prey, so they are a key indicator of the health of a waterway. River otters are not found in highly-polluted watersheds.
5. When we appreciate river otters, we also appreciate clean water In the face of pollution and uncontrolled development, river otters were once eradicated from many portions of the country. Conservation, reintroduction efforts, and national legislation like the Clean Water Act have helped bring them back from the brink.
Though river otters have returned to much of their historic range, their overall population today is estimated at only 100,000. To protect the river otter, we must protect our rivers, lakes, and streams from pollution and destruction. River otters give us just one more reason – a very cute reason – to stand up for our waterways.
Tomorrow (Saturday, May 23rd) is World Turtle Day, the unofficial official holiday of Michigan in Pictures. It was created in 2000 by the good people at American Tortoise Rescue to help people just like you celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world through education & advocacy for our hard shelled neighbors.
Once again, I’m happy to report that one of the most popular features on Michigan in Pictures remains Know Your Michigan Turtles that I wrote back in 2013. With many articles & pics added through the years about every one of Michigan’s 10 native turtle species including the positively prehistoric Common snapping turtle, it may be the finest compendium of Michigan turtle resources on the planet!
Mark shared this photo back on May 23, 2021 and writes “Heavy traffic today on our driveway. This is an ancient mossy back turtle that frequents our shoreline. Some serious detail here, so please zoom in to see the dinosaur scales and massive claws.“
MSU Extension’s Michigan Natural Features Inventory lists the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) as a species of special concern and says Red-headed woodpeckers are residents of open woodlands with widely spaced mature trees. This species typically avoids closed-canopy forest. An original inhabitant of oak and oak-pine savanna systems, red-headed woodpeckers will readily utilize golf courses, country parks, recently burned woodlands, open floodplain forest, and even rural yards with suitable nesting trees.
All About Birds has all kinds of photos & bird calls and shares that the Red-headed Woodpecker is so boldly patterned it’s been called a “flying checkerboard,” with an entirely crimson head, a snow-white body, and half white, half inky black wings. They add some interesting facts:
These birds don’t act quite like most other woodpeckers: they’re adept at catching insects in the air, and they eat lots of acorns and beech nuts, often hiding away extra food in tree crevices for later. This magnificent species has declined severely in the past half-century because of habitat loss and changes to its food supply.
The Red-headed Woodpecker is one of only four North American woodpeckers known to store food, and it is the only one known to cover the stored food with wood or bark. It hides insects and seeds in cracks in wood, under bark, in fenceposts, and under roof shingles. Grasshoppers are regularly stored alive, but wedged into crevices so tightly that they cannot escape.
The striking Red-headed Woodpecker has earned a place in human culture. Cherokee Indians used the species as a war symbol, and it makes an appearance in Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, telling how a grateful Hiawatha gave the bird its red head in thanks for its service.
The oldest Red-headed Woodpecker on record was banded in 1926 in Michigan and lived to be at least 9 years, 11 months old.
The Red-headed Woodpecker has many nicknames, including half-a-shirt, shirt-tail bird, jellycoat, flag bird, and the flying checker-board.
After completing their annual survey this year, scientists estimate 37 of the apex predators are now roaming around Isle Royale, a 132,000-acre U.S. national park that’s part of Michigan and located near Thunder Bay, Canada. The moose population, meanwhile, has declined to an estimated 524 animals, according to a report released in April.
Together, the new figures suggest Isle Royale is returning to a healthier predator-prey dynamic after years of imbalance.
“The wolf and moose populations are now approaching the edge of where they have been in the past, with moose low and wolves high,” says Rolf Peterson, an ecologist at Michigan Technological University and co-leader of the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project, in a statement.
This colorful species is by far the most common species of salamander which inhabits Michigan. It is easily characterized by the red stripe which runs down its dorsum. However, this species comes in both a “redback” and “leadback” color phase.
The reason that this species is so common statewide is because of its general habitat preference. Redbacks are almost always associated with deciduous forests which may include northern hardwoods, oak-hickory, or beech-maple forests and can be found in either uplands or lowlands. They are often found under rocks, logs, leaf litter, and other sorts of debris on the forest floor.
On Saturday morning, April 25, a female loon on I Pool beheld a relatively frequent spring sight: two males battling, with beating wings and stabbings bills, for control of the breeding territory. The observer was Fe, who was first color-marked as an E Pool mother in 1990, and who will thus turn at least 40 this summer. The hostilities were brutal but brief, and after only a minute one of the combatants discerned that this was not his day, after which he shortly took flight for less perilous waters. With the challenger vanquished, Fe and the unbanded victor, who was likely but not certainly her mate from 2025, initiated a circling round of bill dipping and jerk diving, aspects of courtship involved in forming, or re-forming, a pair bond for the season.
Concurrently on nearby H Pool, Fe’s former partner of 25 years, ABJ, was engaged in scouting for potential nest sites with his current companion, Aye-Aye, with whom he bred unsuccessfully on H last year. Although ABJ, who will turn 39 this June, hatched a record 32 chicks with Fe, since their split in April 2022 he has failed to produce further offspring, and she remains the only mate with whom he has ever sired young. Along with the broader Seney loon population, which includes color-marked adults who are embarking upon their 24th, 27th and 33rd Refuge seasons, ABJ and Fe and their respective partners will spend the next few weeks engaged in territorial defense, habitat assessment, copulation and nest building ahead of 27-29 days of egg incubation that, with luck, will culminate in the emergence of one or two downy fluffballs in early-mid June.
“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” – Confucius
Hoping you are reflecting beautiful things.
I featured this amazing photo from cncphotos 9 years ago but figured most of you haven’t seen it, so here you go. See more in their Birds gallery on Flickr & follow them for their latest!
EDITOR’S NOTE/CONTENT WARNING: I’m really sorry that I have to share this awful news. The “DNR Facebook post” link below has a picture of the 5 dead eagles.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials are hoping someone can shed light on a recent series of deceased eagles in the Upper Peninsula’s Garden Peninsula where a staggering five bald eagles were found dead in a single area between April 3 and April 17. (WARNING: 5 dead Bald eagles on the DNR Facebook post)
“The DNR is requesting tips from the public to help solve this ongoing investigation,” said 1st Lt. Mark Zitnik, DNR Law Enforcement supervisor in Newberry. “We can confirm that the eagles did not die from natural causes, predators or vehicle collisions.”
Tipsters who provide information leading to the arrest and prosecution of any individuals may be eligible for a cash reward. Anyone with information is asked to contact the DNR’s Report All Poaching Hotline by calling or texting 800-292-7800. Tipsters may remain anonymous. Eagles are protected at the state & federal level with significant fines & restitution as well as potential prison time.
Kevin is the unquestioned Eagle King of Michigan in Pictures. He has shared hundreds of Bald eagle photos over the years, and took the photo above a decade ago when this eagle launched from a tree & came right at him. I’ve included a few below & you can see tons more in his massive Birds of Prey gallery and for sure follow him on Flickr or at Kevin Povnez Photos on Facebook for the latest!
