On September 7th, 2022, I had back-to-back exciting wildlife encounters while walking down a dirt road through Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. After photographing the mystery damselfly perched on a weed stalk, I continued down the road and stumbled upon a pair of raccoons up to no good.
As I approached, the two Raccoons were poking around in the grasses along the edge of the road. At the sound of my footsteps, their heads jerked up, eyes wide with surprise at having been caught red-handed.
One scrambled to stand on its hind legs, pressing itself against the weeds as if trying to conceal some criminal activity. The pair watched me warily as I raised my camera, capturing their guilty expressions for posterity.
I couldn’t help but laugh at their exaggerated reactions. I know they were just curious critters startled by an unexpected human visitor. But their overly dramatic poses and furtive looks were like bandits caught in the middle of a heist!
Raccoons may have a reputation as masked bandits, but I never get tired of photographing them. Their mischievous nature and human-like antics always make for entertaining encounters. Luckily for me, raccoons are abundant at the refuge, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty more opportunities to document these culpable creatures.
Though I’m certain they were up to benign mischief at most, I’ll be keeping an eye out for these would-be thieves on my next visit down the dirt roads of the refuge. I may have caught them red-handed this time, but something tells me their refuge robbery is far from over!
Equipment Used:
- Camera: Canon EOS R7
- Lens: Canon RF 100-500 mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Technical Details:
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date and Time Taken: September 7, 2022 (07:34 A. M.)
- Aperture: f10
- Shutter speed: 1/800
- ISO: 2000 (Auto)
- Exp. Comp.: 0
- Focal Length: 500 mm