Wildlife in Photography

The sound of rushing wind and crying children greeted me Wednesday at Huntley Meadows Park, but by the end of the day, I had a few interesting shots.

Off the boardwalk, I noticed a lot of mud perfect for footprints and began to scan it for tracks.

One tiny paw stood out. I’m confident that it’s a front paw of a mammal, but beyond that I’m not too sure. I may investigate making plaster casts of prints. I’ve always wanted to do that.

Since I found little on my initial scan of the boardwalk besides Red-winged Blackbirds, I made an extensive check of the woods region and did a full circuit on the informal trails. I also found another trail branching off of the informal trail that I began to explore and will continue to check out on another outing.

In the beginning, the Osprey that I’m used to seeing was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t until I left the area that I saw it soaring above the water. Minutes later it was perched in its favorite area.

As the sun was low in the sky, I accidentally startled a nearby muskrat who dove for the water, only to resurface a short distance away.

And even better, the beaver from Tuesday was back in exactly the same location.

Although I like Tuesday’s shots better, it was fun to see that it wasn’t alone. A few minutes after I settled in to watch, it was joined by a friend and they foraged together.

Until next time!