Two aquatic animals, two different months, two locations. Both put on a great show swimming back and forth, sometimes in beautiful reflections in very early morning light. Both swam quite close several times to check me out.
First there was a beaver, seen above, in New London at Esther Currie WMA. That was in April. Then a river otter, amazingly in the West Lebanon Wetlands, in May. How the otter got there from the Connecticut River is a mystery. It must have found a way through drainage ditches. I doubt it walked across the several large paved parking lots and Route 12A.
First the beaver. Here is comes to see if it can figure out the strange being with a camera.
The beaver circled many times…
…and several times approached its lodge.
As it swam back and forth it moved into different reflections of different backgrounds around the aptly named Beaver Pond. Here are some of the photos I took of the beaver.
The river otter entertained me for over 15 minutes, though it was not visible the whole time. Occasionally it would briefly disappear into the reeds. It came to check me out
Perhaps not satisfied with what it saw, it swam very close — so fast and close I could not frame its whole face — and then dove leaving bubbles and a strange version of an otter.
At one point the otter was positioned in some amazing reflections.
It swam by and did a quick U-turn. The photo I got of the otter is not sharp because I was still focused on where it was before the turn. But I find its open mouth interesting.
Here are nine more photos of this accommodating river otter.
May brought several Soras, a Virginia Rail, a Common Gallinule, Green Herons, and a Wood Duck family to this amazing spot. I wonder what June will bring.