A Differant Harvest

     It's not so much a different harvest as a different being that's doing the harvesting.

     This is a Muskrat and it has taken up residence in a local sediment pond. Have I mentioned sediment ponds before?

     A sediment pond (shown above) collects the waste water at the bottom of the field and slows it or stops it so that the sediment (dirt) can sink to the bottom. This helps to curb erosion of top soils. On the far bank, in the middle of the picture, you can see a place where a couple of cattails are knocked over. The entrance to the muskrats den is right there under the water.
     As I watched the muskrat it would swim up the ditch that fed the pond and return shortly with bunches of plants, mostly oats (uprooted) from the filter strip of the field.

     After 30 minutes of laying in the dirt and holding real still I was able to get these photos. Unfortunately my camera didn't like looking into the relatively dark hole so the pictures are a bit blurry.

     This time the critter dragged a corn stalk back home. He must have gathered enough for lunch because he didn't return. Note the fearsome claws. Don't worry, they're only for digging.

     Farmers aren't the only ones harvesting their crops. There's always some sort of animal munching on the crops. This makes the muskrat a bit of a pest, but the most damage they can do is by accident. Sometimes their burrows and dens can cause washouts of ditches and canals. All in all, I don't think this one is much of a danger though, as it seems to like the oats the most, leaving the corn alone for the most part.
     Have a great weekend folks. I think I'll go work on my wildlife photography a bit more...