Windermere resident Bill Martini studies local otters through deck camera

The town of Windermere is known for many things: lakefront homes, strong canopy of trees, charming atmosphere and years of rich history. 

Windermere resident and Town Council Member Bill Martini is taking a look at a lesser known aspect of the town — its river otters. 

UNEXPECTED VISITORS

Martini, who has lived in Windermere since 1996, said when he first bought the cameras, otters were the last thing on his mind.

In the last 20-plus years, the area has dealt with occasional petty-crime issues, and he was looking for a new security camera to cover various parts of his waterfront home on Lake Down.  

When a friend recommended Martini check out the Arlo Pro 4 camera about six months ago, he liked what he saw and bought a pack of three. The cameras are motion-sensored, water resistant, connect to devices for livestream and have a spotlight. 

“I see stuff out here all the time looking out the kitchen window, and I thought it would be cool to have a camera out here so I could actually see what is going on,” he said.

Martini said he loves working on projects and observing nature outdoors. For him and his family, the town is the perfect slice of heaven. 

But that slice of heaven also came with some of wildlife’s byproducts —namely daily fecal matter on Martini’s back deck. Upon closer inspection, he realized the mess was filled with fish scales, bones and other items. That’s when he suspected he had a new kind of visitor. 

“I would go outside every day and hose the deck down, spray some bleach, and I would come back the next day and be like, ‘What the heck is going on here?’” he said. “I kept finding these little deposits, and so I decided to put one of the cameras out here.”

The lake resident started to catch the river mammals on camera almost every day and randomly decided to share some videos online on Facebook and Nextdoor. 

“I was like, ‘Wow that’s pretty cool,’ but most of the videos I have of them are pooping, and I don’t really want to post that online,” he said, chuckling. “They come and they go. I decided to call it ‘OtterCam.’ Suddenly, I was trending on Nextdoor.”

It turns out people all over West Orange loved the otters.

One of Martini’s first videos on Nextdoor received more than 1,300 likes and 120 comments. 

Many locals thanked Martini for sharing the videos, were surprised knowing that the creatures lived in the area and also marveled at their cuteness. 

“I had no idea they were around here,” Ocoee resident Lisa Rinni said. “So thankful you shared these beautiful animals.”

“Absolutely love your video,” Winter Garden resident Kym Wood said. “Thank you for sharing this wonderful wildlife moment. Love love love it.”

Martini said he then moved the camera down to the lake level on the dock in hopes of getting some close-up shots; and he was not disappointed. 

“They came up and were sniffing and chewing on the camera trying to figure out what it was,” he said. “They really are quite cute.” 

CREATURE CHARACTERISTICS 

Martini has friends who live on all parts of the lake who also observe the otters. He thinks the ones the lake residents see are the same family of three — a large father otter, a medium mother otter and a small baby otter. 

“We call the dad ‘Juan R., the otter,’” he said laughing. “Not everyone gets it. It’s a total dad joke.”

Martini said he sees the mother and the baby most frequently, and they usually come in the early hours of the morning. 

From the videos and the otter habits, some locals suspect the animals to be North American river otters. 

The playful species is well adapted for semi-aquatic living and can grow up to 3 or 4 feet long, including its tail, and weigh between 11 and 30 pounds, according to The National Wildlife Federation. 

The mammals have thick fur to help them keep warm while swimming in cold waters, short legs and webbed feet for faster swimming, and a long, narrow body and flattened head for streamlined movement in the water. 

Their long, strong tails help propel them through the water, where they can stay for as many as eight minutes.

The North American river otters also have long whiskers, which they use to detect prey in dark or cloudy water, and clawed feet for grasping onto slippery prey. 

Martini said the lake is the perfect habitat for the otters, and he thinks they come to the dock because they feel safe there. 

“It’s off the beaten path, because most of the boats that go by are out there,” he said, pointing to the middle of the lake. “It’s kind of secluded out here. It’s like a little cove, and there’s plenty of food like fish, crawfish, clams and turtles. They’ll eat seemingly anything, because of the stuff I see in the ‘gifts’ that they leave me.”

The federation said river otters communicate with whistles, yelps, growls and screams, as well as touch and body posture. They also scent mark using scent glands near the base of their tails.

Although the creatures are adorable, viewers on Nextdoor also warned Martini of the dangers the otters presented. 

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, river otters are not typically considered a threat to humans but can act aggressively if they feel threatened. 

“They use the ladder all the time, which is kind of weird, and sometimes they jump on the boat, and they’ve destroyed the cushions on the boat,” Martini said. “They’ve never approached me, but we mostly just leave each other alone. I imagine the mom is super aggressive though because of her little one.”

LAKE LIFE 

Although the cameras prompted the first time Martini had seen a baby otter in town, he said he knew of the otters and other creatures he had observed throughout his time living on the lake. 

“I’ve been seeing them (otters) on and off ever since we lived here,” he said. “We used to have a big blue foam mat that floated on the lake, and once in a while, you would catch an alligator or an otter sleeping on it.” 

Windermere’s lakes are home to a multitude of animals, including mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, insects and various vegetation. 

Martini said he has seen bald eagles, limpkin, alligators, snakes, toads, woodpeckers and snails. 

Martini plans to eventually start an “OtterTok” on TikTok, exhibiting the otters and the other creatures he comes across.

“I don’t mind having to clean up after them, because they’re pretty unique,” Martini said. “We are lucky to live somewhere where you can just walk outside and see amazing stuff like this.”

Find Bill Martini’s otter videos on Nextdoor here.