I was photographing ducks yesterday near the Bay of Fundy and heard this bird-like chirp. Turned out it was this woodchuck who had seen me way before I had seen him, and was a little agitated.
A good portrait John. Not the most desirable BG however, maybe if you would have taken this from a lower angle the BG could have been more OOF or alternatively opening up the lens. The light seems a bit harsh, darkening the image a bit in PS will probably solve that and give it a more attractive look.
The background issue has been discussed so I'll focus on the animal. I love those big rodent teeth. The image is beautifully detailed and exposed and the subtle color and catchlight of the eye really bring this to life. I think I would just do some gaussian blur on the background (on a layer and mask) and see if I could deemphasize the bg a bit.