In addition to the ducks I’ve been photographing from the kayak, I also have met a couple of mammals. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are pretty common at the spots I like to kayak. In fact, early this summer I should be able to photograph moms with kits as they teach the little ones the art of foraging at the water’s edge. Until then, this little guy is a great start to the new year for me:
Not long after the raccoon’s appearance, I was sitting quietly in the kayak waiting for more ducks to fly in when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. As I looked around, I saw this Northern River Otter (Lutra canadensis) swimming across the bow of the kayak. Until I raised my camera and started shooting, he was totally unaware of my presence. When he heard the camera’s motor drive going, he abruptly stopped and looked over at me for a moment. That’s always such a memory … meeting eye to eye! Then, a quick dive underwater … a few seconds later, he surfaced ~50 feet away from me and again looked over my direction before again diving. So much fun to watch/photograph these guys as the travel about! (And if you didn’t read my once-of-a-lifetime experience with one last summer, be sure to check this blog post out: “Otterly Fabulous Outing!” )
In case you missed the previous images from my initial kayak adventure of 2011, you can click on these links:
Starting tomorrow, I will share some more images from my recent trip through the Badlands.
