A Muskrat Tale.

Although we have muskrats here in BC, I have never seen one. I lived in Alberta for 10 years and saw plenty of them. While visiting north of Edmonton I borrowed a kayak and went out on a lake for a paddle. There I had an unexpected encounter.

I had just finished a trip to the long end of the lake and had turned around to head back. Ahead of me, not 40 meters, a furry animal entered the water and proceeded to swim parallel to the shoreline going in the same direction. I wasn't immediatly sure what it was but as I gained on the hard swimming creature it dawned on me that it must be a muskrat. Beavers are larger, possess a wide, flat tail, and usually announce the presence of strangers with a loud slap of it on the water's surface just before disappearing leaving a trail of bubbles. This beast just kept swimming. I paddled quietly behind it, slowly gaining ground, or in this case, water. Once I was within about 3 meters it began to show signs of anxiety by diving under the water. I would wait for a moment and it soon would reappear and continue on its way. This happened several times. I can honestly say this was a new experience for me.

I formulated a plan. The next time it went under I pushed the boat hard and turned coming just ahead of where I thought the persistent muskrat would rise. Not to be disappointed, its head rose out of the water and it continued as before. I had my camera at the ready and took multiple images of it as it crossed right in front of my kayak less than a meter away. It looked at me and then returned to its expidition, heading to a destination only it knew. But I had my photos and my story. For me, that was enough. I pressed homeward with happy thoughts and better images.

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen

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