OK, before someone gets too excited about today’s photo I like to make clear that this image of a North American River Otter was not made out in the Great Outdoors. The photo was taken in May 2011 in the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa. It is the only photo in the new web gallery about the wildlife here in Eastern Iowa that is not really a wildlife picture. Yes, after several months of postponing this project I have the gallery about mammals finally online. In addition the gallery about birds has been updated with new species and photos. 2013 was a great year for me with many first sightings of bird species along the Mississippi River and the surrounding areas. The pictures in the web gallery are now smaller and allow for faster loading, especially for those of you that have a slower internet connection. Please feel free to click on the link EASTERN IOWA WILDLIFE in the sidebar on the left and explore the variety of birds and mammals that I had the pleasure to have in front of my camera during the last six and a half years. Come back any time and use the photos for identification of a species that you may have encountered and photographed. Share your own sightings with us and please let me know if you find a mistake in these galleries.
So why do I show a photo of the North American River Otter if it wasn’t actually made out in the wild? Joan and I have seen the otter in the Little Maquoketa River not too far from home some time ago but despite many efforts I never had a chance to make the click. These web galleries are meant to be a resource about the species that live in Eastern Iowa or stop here briefly during migration. I also display some older photos that do not meet my quality criteria anymore but they are the only ones that I have at the moment about some particular species. It is about goals that we need to set for our photography. If I can make a better image of a critter, you will be the first ones that can see it here in the blog. And believe me, the North American River Otter is on my MOST WANTED list… :-)