Watery Wednesday-Muskrat

One last photo from my time at Squaw Creek NWR last week. This photo is of a Muskrat.



The presence of Muskrats in a marsh is immediately apparent because of their lodges. The lodges are usually constructed of reeds, rushes and cattails. I read somewhere, sometime that the healthiness of a marsh can be determined by the number of muskrat lodges the marsh has. The more lodges, the healthier the marsh. I was unable to find that in any of the reading that I did today.

Muskrats weigh from 1.7 lbs to 3 lbs. Muskrats are smaller that beaver. The hind feet of a muskrat are partially webbed and the long tail is used as a rudder as they swim. They can remain underwater up to about 17 minutes.

Muskrats will have several litters per year. Each litter will have six to eight young. The muskrats have many natural enemies, such as mink, otters, coyotes, raccoons, and birds of prey. Hence their life span is usually short, about three years.

The rest of the Squaw Creek photos are here.

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Watery Wednesday--Pied Bill Grebe

A trip out to Branched Oak Lake State Recreation Area this afternoon yielded only one photo.

Pied-billed Grebe


Grebes are rarely seen on land as their legs are set far back on their body which causes them to walk poorly. However, this leg location is perfect for swimming underwater to catch prey.

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Watery Wednesday--Brown Pelicans

While I was in Texas in February I enjoyed watching the Brown Pelicans. They are coastal birds, so we don’t see them in Nebraska. The difference in how American white pelicans and Brown pelicans forage and feed particularly interested me. American white pelicans feed by swimming, usually in a group , dipping their pouched bill for fish.

The Brown pelican forages by plunge-diving from heights up to 65 feet or 20m. The Brown pelicans I observed perched on piers or rock formations. Quoting from the Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior

When diving, a Brown Pelican first brings its legs in against its body and retracts its head, then slowly extends the neck and angles the wings backward. The head remains stable during these maneuvers, so that the bird can sight prey along the length of its bill.

On contact with the water, the pelican draws back its wings and opens its bill, centering the prey between its jaws. Its pouch distends rapidly to an enormous size, capable of holding about 21 pints (10 liters), or about 17 ½ pounds (8 kg) of water, and closes around the fish.

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Watery Wednesday--Tri-County Canal

The Tri-County Canal in central Nebraska

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Dam emptying the Tri-County Canal into Johnson Lake

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The Tri-County Canal is maintained and operated by the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District

The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District is a political subdivision of the State of Nebraska organized under public power and irrigation district laws of Nebraska passed in 1933. Central was created to enable the people of south-central Nebraska to develop the state's irrigation and electric power potential.

Central delivers irrigation water to more than 113,000 acres on the south side of the Platte River between North Platte and Minden and also provides supplemental water from Lake McConaughy (Central's main storage reservoir) to irrigation projects serving more than 110,000 acres along the North Platte and Platte Rivers.

Central generates electricity for Nebraska's homes, farms and industry at four hydroplants, one at Kingsley Dam and three on Central's Supply Canal.

Recreation is another benefit of Central's hydro-irrigation project. Nebraskans and visiting vacationers enjoy the excellent fishing, boating, swimming, camping and other recreational opportunities provided by Lake McConaughy, Lake Ogallala, Johnson Lake and many other small lakes along the Supply Canal.

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Watery Wednesday---Cozad SWMA

I came out to Central Nebraska today...and fresh out of the camera are two photos I took while Miz Winnie (see photo in sidebar)and I took a stroll in Cozad State Wildlife Management Area.


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The beaver have been busy...


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Nary a duck to be seen, I did hear some Red-winged blackbirds.

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Watery Wednesday

I had planned to head out to Kearney, Nebraska today for some Sandhill Crane watching today. Went to meet friends for breakfast before leaving, and we were having freezing drizzle. Freezing drizzle doesn't make for good driving conditions, so I'm sitting here in the warmth of my home grinding my teeth over the vagaries of March weather in Nebraska. At least I have a nice warm home to be in!

So back to Texas photos we go...

North of the Rockport/Fulton area is the Copano Bay Causeway. On the other side of the bridge (barely visible in this photo) is the original wooden causeway. It is now a fishing pier. I can't find where I read about the original causeway, but it was quite a marvel at the time it was built.


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While looking for information on the causeway, I found this site with more photos.

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Watery Wednesday

I was sitting in my car on the beach south of Port Aransas watching, and photographing some shorebirds.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw two women walking towards me and knew the shorebirds would soon be scattering. The ladies were obviously in deep conversation. When I looked at them I was immediately struck by the contrast in their clothing. The one lady has a sleeveless t-shirt and shorts on, as opposed to the lady with a sweatshirt and longer pants. Also one has a purse and one doesn't. What I didn't notice at the time, and the photo makes apparent, is that they aren't walking in step with each other. I shot the photo just because the opportunity arose, but when I looked at it later, I really liked the contrast of the gray overcast skies, the gray Gulf of Mexico waves, and their colorful clothing.


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Watery Wednesday-Lake Superior

In yesterdays That's My World! I featured the Split Rock Lighthouse (one post down). Todays Watery Wednesday post features a photo of Lake Superior taken from the grounds of the Split Rock Lighthouse.


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Happy New Year!

Watery Wednesday

These photos of the St. Louis River were taken in late September when I spent a week in the Duluth area.


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Visit Watery Wednesday posts from around the world.

Watery Wednesday

When I got up this morning, it was snowing and there was virtually no visibility. In my That's My World! post Monday, I posted a photo of Pawnee Lake that was taken on a calm, warm summer day. I took this photo in November last year. I suspect that if I had gone out there this morning, it would have looked just like this.


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From Nebraska Birding

Watery Wednesday

One of the big tourism draws to the Nebraska Sandhills is the Niobrara River. It is designated as a National Scenic River. From the National Park Service site:

The Niobrara River drains over 12,000 square miles of the Sandhills, one of the largest stabilized dunefields in the world. Take a leisurely float on this outstanding Great Plains river in north-central Nebraska. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see pine-clad hills and prairie, numerous waterfalls, tall sandstone cliffs and wildlife like deer, bison, elk, beaver, mink, herons and kingfishers.

Near the entrance to Ft. Niobrara NWR


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Down river a bit is Berry Falls


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Further down river, looking west from the Norden Bridge


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Looking east from the Norden Bridge


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There are places to rent canoes, kayaks and these inner tubey things both on the river and in the town of Valentine.


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The inner tubey things are quite colorful


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