Watchful Groundhog
I decided to sit and read in the cemetery again on this pleasant Sunday afternoon, trying to go into areas I see less frequently. This mission brought me to a picnic table near some old sheds and the paupers' grave site.
It was a good idea to check my less-familiar corners because sure enough, I was able to blip this passing groundhog at around fifty feet, He or she never stopped watching me, though it didn't go away from me --rather going toward the buildings and some tended gardens. This beefy creature was prodded by a bird (either an American Robin or a starling, I think) just as it emerged into the clearing. I caught that on video, which for me is a real coup.
Urban cemeteries are great habitats for groundhogs because there are almost no predators and the graves, stone borders, and mausoleum structures are friendly to the creatures' burrowing, while not causing any farmers to lose income.
Groundhogs don't typically go beyond thirteen or fourteen pounds, but I would have guessed heavier for this one. I have seen them only very rarely, and never outside the cemetery, in the year 30+ years I've lived nearby. This might be the first one I've ever photographed.
Extras: A male northern cardinal who stopped to say hello, the almshouse grave, the great tree that nearly touches it with its limbs, and my favorite groundhog on the move.
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