It has been a while since I featured a mammal in my blog, so I thought that I would post a photo of this little muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) that I encountered this past weekend at my local marsh. I observes muskrats there fairly often, but most of the time they are swimming away or are submerging themselves by the time my camera is ready.
This muskrat was poking about at the edge of a formerly inhabited beaver lodge when I first caught sight of him. He did not immediately perceive my presence, so I was able to creep close enough to him to get this shot using my 55-250mm zoom lens.
Unlike the beavers, which sleep during daylight hours, muskrats are active when it its light—in theory it should be easy to get a good shot of a muskrat. The reality, though, is that muskrats are small, fast, and elusive, so I have not yet been able to get many good shots of them.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
My best encounter with muskrat was finding a pair of them swimming under the ice of a frozen pond in NH a couple of years ago. I was on the surface, and not familiar with the video mode of my camera. I took a few seconds of video (but was thinking I got half a minute). It was pretty awesome even though the vid was botched.
That’s a pretty cool experience. I guess the ice wasn’t too thick if you could see them swimming around.
It was about four inches, maybe more, but it was very clear. I followed them out some distance before the ice lost clarity.
Oh ! looks ‘Sincerely ‘ inquisitive !
Perfect title for the facial expression !
Nice shot !
utham
Thanks. You never know what causes an animal to act as it does and it’s always easiest to think of human motivations and emotions (even if they usually are wrong).
Well you have a good shot now. It’s nice to see so much of him out of the water.
Thanks. I watched the muskrat feeding, with the front paws out of the water holding the food, but the vegetation kept me from getting a clear shot.
These animals are hard to see, much less get a shot of. Excellent.
Thanks. They seem to be pretty skittish too, so I try to be quick to shoot whenever I happen to see one.
Nice catch. I see these little guys a lot too, but the second they notice me they are swimming away. Maybe they’re just shy.
Shy or hyper skittish? I am not sure, but it is tough to get a decent shot of a muskrat.
Wow, your local marsh is always hoppin’….it’s great to be a recipient of your photos Mike.
Indeed there always seems to be something going on at the marshland park. The amazing thing is that it is located in a suburban area in what once was a military installation. It’s exciting to go there, because I never know what I might encounter.
What a cute little guy (or girl) (remember “Muskrat Love”?). I used to see muskrats swimming in Clopper Lake occasionally, but it’s been years. Love your picture.
Thanks. I definitely remember the song “Muskrat Love.”
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