Spring Critters Out Back

This is Mr. Muskrat swimming back to his underground home. A second after this picture, he submerges and enters his house from underwater. Unfortunately, that's why people don't like to have muskrats around. They dig holes all around the pond and actually destroy the structure that holds the water in place. Each year our home owners association pays someone to trap (i.e. exterminate) the muskrats, and each spring they return. The Missouri River is only about a mile away, and that's evidently where they come from. We've lived in this house for a little over two years and we really enjoy watching all the critters around the pond. The edge of the pond is about twenty yards behind our house. We get to see turtles, muskrats, "Denny" crane, an occasional deer, and a huge variety of birds. These pictures were taken this past Saturday from the kitchen widow.

This is grandpa turtle. No telling how old this fellow is. His head is about the size of a Coke can and his shell is like a rock. After a long - hard winter, I'm sure the sun really feels good.

The muskrats quickly come out of the water and grab a mouth full of grass before hustling back into the water and taking the food to their family back in the underground home.

Next week on Wild Kingdom, we'll look at the insect world of the Root's back porch...