At morning golden hour, the gophers start poking their heads up to greet the day.

I’ve made a few quick stops on my power walks to try to get a shot, but these guys are very skittish at any movement and quickly dive back into their burrows.

Not to be foiled yet again, I found a bench right beside a gopher hole, set my focus, sat perfectly still, and waited. It was only a few moments before this guy came out to take a look around.

Unfortunately, I had my white balance set wrong, so had to do a bit of editing to get the colours set to as natural as possible.

“Voracious pocket gophers can leave unsightly dirt mounds in yards, and they readily feed on ornamental garden plants. In their native range, however, pocket gophers are beneficial components of ecosystems. They move enormous amounts of soil every year, and therefore help to aerate the soil.”

National Wildlife Federation