At dusk yesterday as I was preparing to leave Huntley Meadows Park, my local marshland park, I stumbled upon this muskrat enjoying its dinner. The sun was setting, but it provided just enough warm light for me to capture some images of this elusive little animal.
Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) generally are skittish and the most common view that I get of them is when they are swimming away from me. I was fortunate that this muskrat was concentrating on feeding, so its guard might have been down a little, and I was able to approach it without startling it.
I was snapping away in an effort to take advantage of the disappearing light and my moment of solitude with the muskrat, when my camera alerted me that my memory card was full. I backed away slowly and surprisingly was able to change memory cards and resume shooting.
Suddenly I started to feel vibrations in the boardwalk on which I was kneeling and I realized that I was not alone. I tried to concentrate as much as I could, knowing that my time was limited as I felt and heard the approach of a young family with both a stroller and a toddler. The noise and movement was too much for the muskrat and after a bit of hesitation, it scrambled under the ice and swam away.
I haven’t yet downloaded and looked through all of my shots, but wanted to share an initial image. I really like that the last rays of sunlight were able illuminate the muskrat’s fur and add a little catch light in the eyes. (As you can probably tell, the light was coming from camera right and shining right on the muskrat.) Stay tuned, as I am sure that I will post at least a few more photos of my encounter with this little muskrat.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Seeing an animal that is rarely seen always makes me feel like I have been given a great gift, even if it is just a glimpse.
I have long suspected that one of my Frances’s relatives has taken you, um, under her wing, so to speak, and this reinforces my suspicion. Very nice catch, and I’m eager to see more. BTW, maybe you should carry a fold-up sign in your little bag of tricks that says something like: WARNING: Unpredictable artist at work! Approach at your own risk! Annoying, inconsiderate approachers will be digitized!
I’m not sure if I’m more impressed with the beautiful muskrat or the fact you could change the card and keep shooting. They’ll be making videos of you pretty soon!
It’s so cute. There’s just something mesmerizing about seeing wildlife in their natural habitats.
I definitely agree. Animals are fascinating, even in a zoo, but there is something extra special when you encounter them in the wild.
[…] weekend at dusk, as it was foraging for food. I posted one photo in an initial blog entry entitle Muskrat at dusk—preview, but I knew that there were other shots that I wanted to […]