Mr Taylor Hutchinson was determined to photograph one of the ‘celebrity’ local beavers living on the River Otter, near his home, but knew it would not be easy.

Sidmouth Herald: Wild beaver. Picture; Mark Taylor HutchinsonWild beaver. Picture; Mark Taylor Hutchinson (Image: Mark Taylor Hutchinson)

He said: “As beavers tend to emerge at dusk it can make photography tricky as the dark heads, dark water and low light make for a tricky combination.

“Instead I decided to look out for haul out sites (places where the beavers come ashore). That way there was a better opportunity of seeing the whole animal with some added background contrast.”

He waited quietly for an hour, and a beaver finally emerged from the foliage.

“He/she just started to chew on reeds and even started to doze.

Sidmouth Herald: Wild beaver. Picture: Mark Taylor HutchinsonWild beaver. Picture: Mark Taylor Hutchinson (Image: Mark Taylor Hutchinson)

“I used a silent shutter so that I didn’t shoot frames like a machine gun which would undoubtedly scare him/her off. I had luckily captured my first wild beaver shot and so close to home too.”