Down at the pond, this morning … I found some muskrat tells … 3 lily pads, separated at the base of the stem, from the tuber. Meaning it was likely done by a muskrat gnawing on the tuber. They were all in the same spot – the NW corner, where I’d found a single lily pad 2 days back. So – I called the trapper – leaving a phone number this time. And, he called back. But … he’s outRead More
Tue May 23 Nice Last night … there were 5 new water lilies just breaching the surface with 1-2 pads. Here’s a couple of those … No signs of decimation in the existing lilies. Looking good. Two different views … Saw a minnow. And – always seeing activity under the lily pads. That’s either the minnows or blue gills. Pretty sure it’s the minnows though. But the surface is so occluded with stuff from the surrounding trees and shrubs that visibilityRead More
Yowsa – went down to the pond this morning – and found 3 loose water lily pads floating. Left a message for the muskrat trapper. Then started to think a bit more – what else could do this? And the light went on, and I started googling – yeah. We had Canadian Geese on the pond yesterday. And today, water lily damage. Hmmm. And the various net gurus say – Geese love aquatic plants – including water lilies. And especiallyRead More
I planted water lilies again, this year. Even though the muskrats cleaned us out last year – including all cattails, and most phrags. Pretty much all the pond growth, eaten away at the roots. Leaving a huge mass of dead rotting vegetation behind. I tried trapping them last year – to no avail. Got no muskrats. And they got all living plant matter in the pond. This brings me to the cats … No, not this one. That’s Boris –Read More
Ouch … those ratty muskrats!!! Just one month ago … And now, this … So, I managed to get off one good shot Just one shot, for many many hours of hunting, sitting still, in a chair, down by the pond. Had ratty in the crosshairs, pulled the trigger, and he dived. No blood. The next day, he or another muskrat, was seen crossing the pond with a mouth full of plant matter. They are so careful. Trapping’s the onlyRead More
Damage done to cattails last night. Really need to get that rascal, and any of his friends who may have joined him. Can’t find the nest though – too much vegetation. Need to stay up all night, watching, to find the little bugger’s home. Perhaps a 22 with a night scope would be of some use?
The cattails lying on the pond surface in the above pic, are from a Muskrat having eating away some of the cattail’s root tuber. These cattail fronds lying on the pond, were the first definite Muskrat tells this year. Plus, today, Corey saw a small mammal swimming across the pond. Had to have been a muskrat. So tomorrow, in order to save the pond’s vegetation, I’ll dig 3 4″ holes in likely muskrat spots in the pond banks. Digging each hole about 12″ into the pond bank. Read More
First Time This Year – One water lily leaf is visible on the surface. Two from other plants are visible below the surface. Tomorrow, should be 3 plants with visible leaves. No sign of any live muskrats. The brown coloring in the water showed up again. Like last spring. Very wet behind the pond. It leaks, you know. From the muskrats. My my.
Spring is so brassy … And sometimes, it brings muskrats … Muskrat signs on the pond bottom – first of the season. The fresh tan dirt on the normally dark bottom, indicates a muskrat has been holing out my bank nearby. I found the hole – after 10 minutes or so of searching – had to bend up a pole to find it. It was narrower than others I’ve found. So I grabbed a rusting #110 trap, set it, and placedRead More
Two geese came to visit today. Along with the frog eating duck I saw the other day. And while capturing this action down at the pond, from up on the deck, one of our feral cats came to check me out – and I caught him on camera – one of the shots … Big Shot? Also, I found the critter that took off with one of my traps last fall – and the trap too – in a foot orRead More
