Last Tuesday a fairly significant snowstorm moved through the state. It hit areas north of us with nearly a foot but the Twin Cities got about 3 to 4 inches max. Then last night we had about another inch added on top making it actually feel like winter for a change. The park was very much alive today with some great sights.
First I caught this Muskrat sitting on the thin ice over the waterway connecting the duck pond to the next lake. Before this photo he was eating what looked to be a greenish colored weed or cattail and I couldn't figure out where he would have gotten that. On the northeast side I wandered up the next trail for a bit when I started to hear a loud shrieking bird call.
At first I thought it was a Blue Jay imitating a Hawk. It took me a while to finally get to where the sound was coming from to see that it
was a Hawk. He only sat still for a couple of photos before taking off but I think it was probably a Red-tailed. The next bird I saw really stood out against today's overcast and grey skies. This Cardinal was picking Buckthorn berries with his back to the wind -as evident by his crown feathers periodically bending all the way over the front of his head.
But the best sighting of the day was yet to come on the south side. As I crossed the bridge over the creek I looked upstream which and spotted another Muskrat on the ice underneath a bush. I quietly made my way up the woodchip trail when I saw what I thought was yet another one on an island of ice in the creek. As it moved I realized it wasn't a Musksrat but a Mink! I had my camera on him right away but there were so many trees and brush in the way. Though I didn't get a decent picture of it, he was eating a little fish about 6 inches long.
After he finished that he walked back my way along the ice island and even looked directly at me as I was searching for a better clearing through the brush. He hung out along the edge of the water for a bit, burying his snout into the snow in search of something. Then he turned around and slinked along towards the other end of the ice. There were a pair of Mallards swimming by and when the Mink got to the end of the ice, he jumped high in the air landing in the water right by them, sending the ducks off quacking angrily. It was hilarious and seemed to have no point other than amusement for the Mink.
First I caught this Muskrat sitting on the thin ice over the waterway connecting the duck pond to the next lake. Before this photo he was eating what looked to be a greenish colored weed or cattail and I couldn't figure out where he would have gotten that. On the northeast side I wandered up the next trail for a bit when I started to hear a loud shrieking bird call. 
At first I thought it was a Blue Jay imitating a Hawk. It took me a while to finally get to where the sound was coming from to see that it was a Hawk. He only sat still for a couple of photos before taking off but I think it was probably a Red-tailed. The next bird I saw really stood out against today's overcast and grey skies. This Cardinal was picking Buckthorn berries with his back to the wind -as evident by his crown feathers periodically bending all the way over the front of his head. 
But the best sighting of the day was yet to come on the south side. As I crossed the bridge over the creek I looked upstream which and spotted another Muskrat on the ice underneath a bush. I quietly made my way up the woodchip trail when I saw what I thought was yet another one on an island of ice in the creek. As it moved I realized it wasn't a Musksrat but a Mink! I had my camera on him right away but there were so many trees and brush in the way. Though I didn't get a decent picture of it, he was eating a little fish about 6 inches long. 
After he finished that he walked back my way along the ice island and even looked directly at me as I was searching for a better clearing through the brush. He hung out along the edge of the water for a bit, burying his snout into the snow in search of something. Then he turned around and slinked along towards the other end of the ice. There were a pair of Mallards swimming by and when the Mink got to the end of the ice, he jumped high in the air landing in the water right by them, sending the ducks off quacking angrily. It was hilarious and seemed to have no point other than amusement for the Mink.
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