Savagery

After several days of no sightings, this morning Otto the muskrat is again swimming back and forth across the pond, conveying small branches of green leaves to his den. Or maybe this is Otterlee – I suppose we have to assume there is at least a pair. A week ago or so Alan saw one jump ten feet into the pond from on shore when an ermine snuck up on it, so I was beginning to think the muskrat were goners.

Something met its end on the lane last night, nothing left but a mess of feathers. To hazard a guess, a young turkey or pheasant. Perhaps the responsible party is one of the coyotes that regularly leave their, um, calling cards in the center of the lane.

I saw a baby rabbit in the yard and wondered, "Am I going to eat you when you grow up?"

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Looking up the terraces toward the west fenceline, with a red wing blackbird on the wire:

This morning we got 16 tons of sand to augment the beach. Some assembly required.