Muskrat Love

It's day 22 of staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic, and I'm researching muskrats.

My mother informed me, with a sense of urgency, that she'd found muskrat activity around the farm pond.

The USDA has a technical service bulletin on muskrats, and offers lots of practical information and fun facts.

Fun fact #1: "The muskrat belongs to the Family Cricetidae in the Order Rodentia."

Fun fact #2: "The name 'muskrat' is derived from a musky yellowish secretion males use to mark territories and attract mates during the breeding season."

Fun fact #3: Male muskrats can weigh 2.5 pounds.

After learning more than I ever wanted to know about muskrats, I decided to inspect the pond area and look for recent muskrat activity. When I inform my husband of my plans, he gives me encouragement by singing "Muskrat Love," that 70's song made famous by Captain and Tennille.

With "Muskrat Love" playing over and over in my head, and two Border collies on leash, and raining falling, I trek the half mile to the pond. With the recent rains, I thought I'd find muskrat tracks in the mud.

While I found no tracks, I found lots of clam shells. Freshwater clams are a delicacy of both raccoons and muskrats.

 But they are not so much a delicacy of humans, at least according to my brother, who tried them once.

I could not determine who was digging up clams and eating them (best guess, not my brother). I found evidence of muskrat dens, but no fresh activity. The muskrat situation, I determined, needed on-going monitoring.

 As for Muskrat Love, I can't get that song out of my head.