I was really excited to see this muskrat going into the water and bringing back reeds and various sticks and grasses, placing them onto the house mound, and going back for more. This shot shows him sitting up on the house, between trips out for more "construction materials."
This muskrat was photographed at Maumee State Park in NW Ohio. He was building his house, diving under water to get cattail stems, bringing them back up and arranging them into his house mound. It was exciting to watch him go about his business, seeming oblivious that I was there.
These swans were photographed at Metzger Marsh, between Ottawa National Wildlife Area and Maumee State Park, NW Ohio. The reddish coloration on their heads and necks is from the iron content in the marshy waters, and their method of feeding underwater. In the background is a muskrat house mound.
