Deschutes River day hike

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Double Tree
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Deschutes River day hike

Post by Double Tree » November 22nd, 2020, 7:08 pm

Went to Deschutes State Park yesterday for a casual hike along the river. Had thought to go to Crawford Oaks again, but fog was thick and visibility was maybe a couple hundred feet when I got there.

Fog was thick along the Deschutes as well, but higher up. You could see half the hills anyway. Or is that really low clouds?

Almost no one there when I started out. My usual hike to Boy Scout field, as I call it, back along the road for variety, then Ferry Springs.

This time however, I stopped early, around 2.5 miles in for a late breakfast. The river was skinny here. I sat on mound of rocks next to the water. I happened to be looking downstream, when across the water, maybe 50 feet away, 4 beavers came out of the bushes, plopped into the water, and swam to my side of the river. They came up on the bank just downstream from me, into the trees. One actually turned around part way across, went under, and reappeared on the other side, carrying something fish colored, and went back into the bushes there. I suspected it would resume it's journey and join its family, which it did, so I had time to get my camera powered up. Not a great photo but hey, I was pretty lucky to see what I did.

As I said, I finished up with Ferry Springs, the upper part in the fog cloud. No wind the entire time. A very enjoyable morning.

Kelly
Attachments
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Blue sky at the end.
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Late bloomers.
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Looking back as the train enters a patch of sun.
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Looking up into the fog on the Ferry Springs trail.
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Beaver number 4.
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Foggy up higher.

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bobcat
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by bobcat » November 23rd, 2020, 8:24 am

Sounds like a good day. Did you get a really good look at your creatures? From your photo and the behavior you're describing, they may have been otters not beavers.

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Double Tree
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by Double Tree » November 23rd, 2020, 5:40 pm

I did not. Totally willing to believe they were otters instead. They were very dark, against a muddy dark bank.

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teachpdx
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by teachpdx » November 23rd, 2020, 10:49 pm

I’d also guess they are otters. I saw four of them just upriver from the main park a year or so ago. Nice find!
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drm
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by drm » November 24th, 2020, 6:45 am

Yeah, beavers don't eat fish, they eat wood and plants. Otters eat fish. So if it had a fish, it was an otter. Did you see it swim on it's back? Also something otters do.

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aiwetir
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by aiwetir » November 24th, 2020, 2:20 pm

Those are nice photos
- Michael

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Double Tree
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by Double Tree » November 24th, 2020, 5:17 pm

Michael - thank you.

DRM - no, wish I had seen then swimming on their backs. That would have been pretty neat.

Overall it sounds like otters I think. First I've seen.

Ron Goodwin
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by Ron Goodwin » December 17th, 2020, 9:47 am

There are raccoons doing that as seen earlier in the year.

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adamschneider
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by adamschneider » December 17th, 2020, 11:22 am

The Lower Deschutes River is the only place I've ever personally seen a river otter.

Aimless
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Re: Deschutes River day hike

Post by Aimless » December 17th, 2020, 12:40 pm

River otters seem to be doing OK lately. In the past 15 years, I've seen them the Metolius River, Table Lake in Jeff wilderness, Timpanogas Lake in Willamette NF, Busch Lake in Wm O. Douglas wilderness, and at the Oregon coast near Neskowin. Several of those sightings were multiple otters together. Before that I think I only ever saw a river otter once in 50 years.

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