The Muskrat of Island Lake

I have heard stories about a beaver that patrols the shoreline in the early morning and at nightfall, but I had never seen it. I was skeptical, as there was no evidence of any beaver activity in the surrounding areas.

This morning I saw what must have been the beaver, as the tail working its way through the water sure seemed like a beaver's tail, but then he climed out of the water and onto the beach, and I could see that, out of the water, the tail was long and flat but not so wide as a beaver's. He was smaller, too, but the water mammal appearance is easily confused with that of his look alike.

With fewer people here at this time of the year, the wildlife seems less shy about letting themselves be seen in open spaces, and it is a treat for those of us who remain, who enjoy seeing them.