Don't let this close-up fool you, this was a quite little gopher I watched for awhile and photographed in Montano de Oro State Park in Morro Bay, California. He was very busy, repeatedly coming out of his hole, grabbing some dry grasses, and running back into his hole. He did this over and over, which allowed me to move around in front of him so I could see his face. It wasn't until I had this image on the computer that I realized I had captured his front teeth. Now I know that most people, especially gardeners, hate gophers because they are so destructive in their gardens, but Gregory here was in the wild, minding his own business, and wasn't getting in anyone's way. I thought he was sort of cute with his long whiskers, bright eyes, and two front teeth. 11/25/19 Judith Sparhawk
While walking in a State Park near Morro Bay last week, I saw this cute little bunny, all hunched down in the grasses. It was clearly hiding, holding completely still, hoping to be overlooked. Its choice to hide rather than run gave me the chance to capture this cute moment. 11/23/19 Judith Sparhawk
When I was at Big Bear Alpine Zoo the other day, I saw this red fox pacing inside his cage, which was really quite large and nicely outfitted for him. When I went by later, he was plopped down, looking hot and ready for a nap. It's been hot enough here that even at 7,000 feet it was about 90 degrees, and his beautiful coat looked way too heavy. 7/14/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com
