Beaver Shot

"Where did it go?" DW asked, as she moved beside me and raised her mirrorless camera.

"Over there," I pointed, "on the shore."

"Where? All I see is that muddy rock."

"That's it," I said, "it's the muddy rock."

Not sure whether or not I was right, she pointed at the dark mass, tucked in shadow, and took her snapshots.

I was carrying my Nikon D7200, with my 70-300mm lens. My now standard camera for photographing the wilderness. The sensor isn't as good as my D750 but with the conversion of a non-full-frame camera, my 300mm zoom became about 450mm, allowing me to get a bit closer.

I had followed the creature through the lens of my camera since he was swimming in the clearing in the ice, in the water of Mer Bleue Bog. He went under water a couple of times, to negotiate the ice that was still covering his path. But his course was a straight one and I was able to see him move to the shaded area by the shore, where he climbed up onto the snowy bank.

DW and I had seen beavers on a couple of our kayaking adventures but this is the first time we spied one in one of the nature conservation areas in the city.

We didn't have the best vantage and the beaver kept his back to us for the most part. But just when I was about to give up, he turned, for a moment, before going back into the water.

I got my shot. My beaver shot.

Happy Friday!