Ottawa Wildlife

I wander the internet from time to time, checking out the travel sites of all those exotic destinations that I haven't been able to visit.

I particularly like to read about the native flora and fauna; all of those species unusual and beautiful from far flung lands. Something like the slide show as you scroll down this page.

It occurred to me that our local wildlife, accustomed though we are to seeing it, may be just as exotic to folks from other lands as their animal life is to me.

So, to all you visitors from countries without our animals, birds and plants, here's an introduction to Ottawa wildlife; the walking, crawling, and flying things that you might see in and around Ottawa, Ontario, Canada when you come for a visit.

Moose

I have seen moose just outside of Ottawa on our local Highway 7; just never got a good picture of them.

The traditional forage area for these magnificent creatures extends through and to the southeast of Ottawa. They are well protected save for an annual hunting season, so there are lots around. Rumour has it that they are spreading farther south as things warm up in their traditional grounds.

It seems at least once a year or so that the animal rescue squad, police and fire-departments are called into someone's suburban Ottawa backyard to extricate a moose from their swimming pool.

Brother Sam, living about 35 km southeast of Ottawa was sitting in his gazebo one afternoon a summer or two ago, and a bull moose, standing about 6' at the shoulder wandered into his backyard, stood looking unconcerned for a moment, and then wandered off into the neighbour's property.

Will you see a moose every time you come to Ottawa? Nope. They are pretty shy. But you do want to be extra careful driving the highways around Ottawa late evening and in the night. Moose are hard to see, being dark-furred animals, and they are so huge that the typical small car will drive right under them. Under them until the passenger compartment collides with the moose's belly, with disastrous results, that is.

Whitetail Deer

If you are in downtown Ottawa in the concrete and pavement area, of course, whitetails will be hard to find.

Get to the outskirts, Ottawa's Greenbelt area for example, or any backyard in Ottawa that backs onto a larger woodlot, and whitetail deer will be there.

Watch wide open fields around Ottawa and along the less urbanized stretches of the Ottawa or Rideau Rivers particularly in the evening. You will see these graceful and shy creatures at the edges of the green.

To farmers and gardeners, whitetails are a real pest. Not omnivorous, the list of things they will eat seems to far outstretch the list of things they won't. We used to have tulips and small dogwoods. Not any more! :-)

In the evening, particularly as you are leaving Ottawa, watch out for whitetail deer adjacent to and crossing the highways. They appear as if by magic, and it's a rare day in the Ottawa area where a deer / vehicle collision doesn't take place.

Chipmunk

In the wild the chipmunk lives in the forest. In the urban environment, the black and white side-striped creature is everywhere, and particularly, at any sort of bird feeder as they stuff their cheeks round as ping-pong balls, taking and hoarding the food intended for our winged friends.

They dig elaborate burrows and their approximately 2" (5 cm) diameter holes can be found in lawns, sides of the road, between tree roots, and of course, right smack dab in the middle of your prized flower garden.

The pleasure is derived from their cheery "chip, chip, chip" call as they scurry about sourcing food and that they are easily tamed if you care to spend a few minutes each day in your backyard with some sunflower seeds or peanuts handy. You'll soon have them eating out your hand, literally.

The pain? They eat flowers and flower bulbs like crazy, and can quickly dig and destroy beds of flowers.

Raccoon

The raccoon is ubiquitous.

It's a nocturnal animal, so you rarely see one during the day, though the one in the photo was raiding one of our bird feeders early one morning, and when I went outside, rather than dropping to the ground and scurrying away, he bolted up the tree and posed for this photo.

Don't let their cute ring tailed, and black masked-eyes fool you. If you corner one, or your dog or cat gets into a scrap with one, the raccoon's formidable claws and teeth will ensure that it prevails. If the one in the photo hadn't run up the tree, but rather had felt cornered and braced me, I'd have given way immediately.

They are omnivorous. If there's food around, so too will be the raccoon, in every Ottawa backyard (and sometimes front yard too!).

Garter Snake

Sometimes not so little, getting up to about 1-1.5 meters (3-5 feet) in length, most encounters will be with much smaller snakes.

In the Ottawa area you'll see garter snakes most early mornings and late afternoons in the summer. During spring and fall you'll most often see them during mid-day on a sun-warmed rock or pathway, while trying to keep their cold blood warm. For normal winters the garter snakes around Ottawa, and much of Canada, are snuggled up in their dens to survive the frigid conditions above ground.

They are very useful critters to have around, munching on insects, frogs, and sometimes even rodents. They swim well and skim across small ponds and lakes, while sometimes stopping to catch a small fish or tadpole.

They secrete a smelly substance if you pick them up, and they will bite. Their bite isn't poisonous, but it does sting a bit. That I can tell you for sure. :-)

Ready for a little more Ottawa Wildlife?


Have you a photo of wildlife (bird - animal - unusual plant) in Ottawa that you would like to share with visitors? Please add your photo and comment below.

Got a great photo & story?

Share your pictures of Ottawa wildlife; that's animals, plants and birds, with the visitors to All-About-Ottawa.com.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see what others have added.