Almost too close

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Almost too close

March 11, 2017 by Mike Powell

This muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) was so close yesterday morning at Huntley Meadows Park that I almost stepped back off of the edge of the slippery boardwalk as I tried to make sure that I was within the focusing range of my telephoto zoom lens.

I ended up wet from the intermittent rain, but managed to avoid falling into the water.

Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus, Tamron 150-600mm | 8 Comments

8 Responses

on March 11, 2017 at 8:15 am | Reply shoreacres

I’ve always been fascinated by raccoon “hands,” and it seems that muskrats have the same sort of dexterity. I didn’t realize they have opposable thumbs. It’s a fun photo.
on March 11, 2017 at 10:02 am | Reply nildamacedopaulino

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on March 11, 2017 at 12:02 pm | Reply Dan Antion

Great photo Mike. I’m sure your plan when in crisis mode is “save the camera” but I’m glad neither you or the camera ended up in the drink.
on March 11, 2017 at 3:22 pm | Reply Sue

Yeah, you have to pay attention when backing up with a big zoom on the camera. I’ve stepped in some nasty stuff that way.
on March 11, 2017 at 4:03 pm | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Oh my gosh he’s cute! I’ve never seen a muskrat in the wild before. That’s pretty cool.
- on March 11, 2017 at 5:50 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  The fact that the boardwalk at my favorite park runs through the marshland makes it sometimes possible to see wildlife up close. I think the fact that the muskrat was feeding made it less sensitive to my approach.
on March 11, 2017 at 5:47 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

Wow, never seen one of these before!
- on March 11, 2017 at 5:51 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Normally the muskrats appear to be pretty small, but in this photo it looks awfully big. I think the finger-like paws make this one especially cute.