One of my favorite spots to paddle is Raccoon Creek, putting in at Crow Road in Vinton County and heading upstream until my arms give out before drifting back to my car. I always see something lovely, and this weekend was no exception.
The highlight was a mink temporarily stuck on a rock ledge, meaning it hung around for a whopping three minutes while I was only about ten to thirty feet away. (This is a very close and long sighting by wildlife standards.)
I wasn’t fast enough to catch the moment it leapt off the cliff to belly flop into the creek then swim away underwater. You’ll have to take my word for that part.
My favorite photo of the day was a Bronze Jumping Spider on a cardinal flower bud.
Favorite missed photos: the seven Yellow-billed Cuckoos (all of whom flirted but none of whom posed!).
I’ll end with two bonus arachnid shots: a crab spider hanging out on a sourwood flower so it could kill and eat a pollinating bee, plus a fishing spider with feet in the water to hunt by feel.
As a side note, I’ll be heading out on vacation later this week, taking lots of photos but likely not posting them. So be prepared for a gap then a photo dump!