A pocket gopher gave me a rare close look near the visitor center at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. I found it while driving through the refuge on the morning of June 5, 2023.
The gopher was clearing soil from an active burrow. I stopped nearby and prepared for its next appearance.
Pocket Gopher Close-Up Beside an Active Burrow
The pocket gopher spent most of the encounter below ground. Fresh movement around the opening showed that it was still working inside the burrow.
When it surfaced, I could see several features that are easy to miss from a distance. Its small eye and ear were visible through the dirt. Its front teeth also stood out in the tight view.
Soil covered much of its face. That detail helped show how closely this animal’s life connects with the ground around it.
The gopher did not remain in sight for long. Each appearance gave me a brief chance to study its face before it dropped back into the burrow.
Photographing the Gopher From My Pickup
I positioned my pickup near the burrow opening and used it as my photography vantage point. I aimed the camera toward the entrance and waited for the gopher to return.
The truck allowed me to remain in one place while watching the opening. It also gave me a steady position for the long lens.
I photographed the gopher with a Canon EOS R5 and a Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens. At 500mm, I could frame the animal closely without moving nearer to the burrow.
Camera settings:
- Camera: Canon EOS R5
- Lens: Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
- Focal length: 500mm
- Aperture: f/10
- Shutter speed: 1/800 second
- ISO: 4000, Auto ISO
- Exposure compensation: +0.7
- Date: June 5, 2023
- Time: 8:28 a.m.
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma
The high ISO helped support a fast shutter speed at f/10. That combination gave me enough speed for the gopher’s quick movements around the entrance.
A Brief Look Into an Underground Life
This encounter lasted only a short time, but the close view made it memorable. I saw the gopher at work instead of finding only a fresh mound of soil.
The photograph also revealed details I might not have noticed in the field. Its face, teeth, ear, and dirt-covered fur told the story of an animal busy below the surface.
A later encounter in my wildlife garden offered another look at these burrowing mammals. You can read about it in Baird’s Pocket Gopher in Arkansas: A Wildlife Garden Encounter.
Moments like this remind me to watch small patches of disturbed soil. Sometimes the most interesting wildlife is almost entirely hidden beneath my feet.
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