For all the insects and spiders I see on my walks, not to mention cows and horses, animals rarely appear in my photographs. Bird close-ups require either incredible good luck or great patience, coupled with high-quality lenses with long focal lengths and large price tags. For all that I am fond of herps — frogs and toads, turtles, snakes, lizards — I don’t think a single one has appeared in nearly a year’s worth of images. Even the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), probably the most commonly-seen mammal along the road, has only made one appearance here. On this mild December afternoon, though, I encountered a squirrel hard at work rooting around in the leaves just beyond the horse pasture fence. Usually, by the time I see a squirrel it is beating a hasty retreat across the grass and up a tree. This time, though, I managed somehow to remain unnoticed while the squirrel spent several minutes poking around in the grass, occasionally uttering a low clucking sound. I got as near as I could, fearful that I would be betrayed by a thick layer of crisp and crunchy leaves. Finally, the squirrel followed a scent (or maybe just an inclination) up into a drainage pipe across the road, whose entrance was practically under my feet. Before he (or she) disappeared, I took quite a few photos despite having only a mid-focal-length lens; these two are my favorites.
