(Muskrats - photo by Neil Barker)
Gray Autumn morning and you’re ignoring the coming Winter.
The air is colder than yesterday and sense Fall is dying.
You prepare the best way you know how: build a shelter and eat!
I took this photo in late November 2023. I was hiking in the local conservation area near my home and happened to see these Muskrats sitting on a partially submerged log. They were eating some plants that they would dive for and retrieve from the lake.
I spent a good 20 minutes just watching them eat and swim and dive for these plants. All in all a peaceful morning and a memorable encounter with Nature.
Sijo Notes: In this sijo, I tried to capture the sense that these Muskrats were in a hurry to eat and prepare for Winter. In the 20 or so minutes of watching them, they ate, dove for food, and ate some more.
Nature Notes:
They are semiaquatic rodents and are well adapted to the water. They can close their ears to keep out water and their hind feet are semi-webbed. In the winter they live in ‘push-ups’ in marshes made of plants and mud. These can be up to 3 ft high. In contrast a beaver’s lodge is made mostly of sticks and could be a lot larger and up to 5 ft high.
Muskrat (OttawaRiverkeeper.ca)
Oh my goodness, these guys are ridiculously cute!
do you often see two of them together like this?