A capture from an encounter I had with this cutie last month. Most of the time these guys are pretty skittish but this one seemed to almost enjoy the company. It swam around, coming within a few feet of me at times, and would occasionally stop and have a snack in full view. Here it eats some grass it nabbed from the shoreline.

Definitely a scary wildlife encounter when I happened across this furry beast. It was hard not to turn tail and run as it swam toward me but I stood strong and got the shot. 😀

Okay, not really but it makes for a good story. In truth, my wife had actually spotted this little guy last week at a neighborhood park.

I stopped by a couple times but didn’t have any luck until yesterday. On that visit, it was actually quite a willing photo subject giving me lots of shots as it swam around and ate some of the aquatic grasses. At different times I was only a few feet away, the closest I have ever been to one. In that proximity, I realized that they really are a bit big – probably about a foot in body length.

Taken at one of the many City of Thornton, Colorado parks.