How about Muskrat?

Steve
Bellingham

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alyssa Sampson [mailto:alyssasampson at comcast.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 10:54 PM
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Montlake Fill critter
>
>
> Hello,
>
> Can someone tell me what Capybara-like giant rodent inhabits the
> mysterious, tree-surrounded western pond at the Montlake Fill? Ok, it
> wasn't that big, I think too small for a beaver and no bigger than my
> cat. It fled into the water from the bank as I caught a glimpse, then
> swam about and floated in place for a few minutes in plain sight in the
> pond before disappearing. I thought beavers were a bit more elusive
> than this. I couldn't get a good view of its tail in the water, but I
> got the impression of long, straight, and thick rather than flattened.
>
> I saw it Sunday the 21st of March, along with numerous birds that
> seemed to be engaged in displays: Northern Violet-Green Swallows doing
> their swift-like flight displays, which I'd never seen before; Canada
> Geese doing their thing bobbing around at each other; three
> hummingbirds having it out over the wedding rock area, rocketing high
> into the air; tons of singing Red-Winged Blackbirds; Hooded Mergansers
> showing off their hoods. The Great Blue Herons have nice plumes, and
> one was bathing rather comically in the shoveler pond.
>
> Looking at a mammal field guide, NUTRIA looks right. Does that sound
> right?
> Oh, dear, no wonder Nutria look like Capybara. I just looked them up
> together and apparently they are closely related.
>
> Alyssa Sampson
> Maple Leaf
> Seattle
> alyssasampson at comcast.net
>
>