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In moving from the suburban environment of Long Island to a more rural one in Pennsylvania, I expected the animal life to be different but didn't expect to have a groundhog as a next-door neighbor. And he (or she) is huge! . . . as far as by my experience with other marmots goes. Anyway, we named him Bronty, or Thunder, the Groundhog.
On the other hand, perhaps Bronty isn't that large. He's simply well prepared for a long hibernation in what appears to be a cold winter ahead.
Most days he has a regular schedule, so I'm fairly certain as to whch times I should have a long telephoto lens ready. Below is his alert position, looking like a gray boulder on the ground.
Incidentally, clicking on any image takes you to a larger version of the photo (running from 60K to 80K). You do want to see his blue eyes, don't you?)
Upon standing, Bronty gains a certain dignity.
Groundhogs do not live by sitting and standing alone. They also eat a fair amount of the time, and they also engage in rigorous cleaning, such as below.
I intend adding more Bronty photos, and I'm also looking forward to spring 2005: I wonder how much weight Bronty will lose?
Photo note: The images were taken on 3 October 2004, through the window, at State College, Pennsylvania, with a Pentax *istD and the SMC-A 300mm lens with the Pentax 1.4x multiplier.
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