Yesterday, I returned to the pond where I had previously seen the river otter, hoping to see it again. As I stood silently at the water’s edge, I heard something pretty big moving about in the underbrush, something that seemed to be bigger than an otter.
I was surprised to see a raccoon emerge—generally they are nocturnal and previously I had seen them only at twilight. The raccoon seemed to be rooting around, looking for food. He didn’t seem to be aware of my presence and as I watched it move about, I managed to get a few clear shots before it moved away into the deeper brush.
It you are of a certain age, you remember the fun little Beatles song “Rocky Raccoon”—every time that I see a raccoon, that song comes to mind.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I don’t know that I’d want to get too close to a raccoon that was out in daylight, especially after reading the book Rabid by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy. That’s a great shot you got of him though. I remember that song too!
I kept my distance from the raccoon just in case (telephoto lens was good in that respect). I love the Beatles music–in many ways it was the soundtrack to my youth.
You’ve been on a mammal roll! I saw a raccoon trotting down the sidewalk in broad daylight today. It didn’t look sick, but I also thought that was an odd time for it to be out and about.
It is a bit odd. Many folks assume that a raccoon is rabid if out in daylight and sometimes that is the case. From what I read, though, there are other factors involved that might cause them to be seen in daylight.
Great shot, but I now have that song stuck in my head.
Hey, it’s a classic Beatles song…it could be a lot worse. 🙂
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