Raccoon. Bay City Recreation Area. Tobico Marsh. Michigan.

I wish I knew this Raccoon’s whole story. I only know a page of it, perhaps even only a sentence. Due to some misunderstanding at the beginning of Saturday’s Midwest Birding Symposium field trip to Bay City Recreation Area and Tobico Marsh, Rich and I were driving around looking for an open gate to get a dozen cars safely parked. While at the Tobico Marsh parking we saw this Raccoon by the side of the road, just sitting, watching us pass. Strange. Stranger, when we got back with all the cars, it was still on the side of road, but it had moved about 100 yards closer to where the trail enters the marsh along the road. We split the group in to two, and my group walked from the parking to the trail along the road, and the Raccoon was still sitting there, right out in the open. I cautioned the group to give it a wide berth, as, by now, I was suspicious it might be sick or injured…perhaps even rabid. The birders obediently crossed the road and went around the Raccoon while I brought up the rear. I thought sure it would scamper off into the brush behind it, but it just sat there, looking at us, as we passed. Of course, I took a few pics. Close up, it does not look either sick or injured. So, what is its story? I can only wonder. I hope it lived on to write the next paragraph, page, etc. 🙂

Nikon P900 at 1200mm equivalent field of view. 1/50th @ ISO 800 @ f6.3. Processed in Lightroom.