At the end of 2011 the family went out for a day to Kildonan Park, on of the many small parks in Winnipeg. Kildonan Park is a nice little place to go for walks, it's a very peaceful area.
The park has a small stream that usually has ducks in it, and we often go to feed them. However this time a Muskrat showed up, and I found that while ducks seemed to leave pumpernickel alone (they hate the taste), the muskrat loved it! Muskrats aren't rats, and despite appearance they aren't related to the beaver in any way either. Muskrats are in fact the biggest species of vole, small mouse-like rodents that normally burrow beneath the soil and eat roots and seeds. Muskrats are no different, they too burrow, but rather into the banks of water bodies.
Wood Ducks are common here, as they like water bodies in deciduous forests. They are particularly fond of the rivers in Winnipeg, as oak trees grow along the banks and provide a food source in the form of acorns. This is a male fresh out of eclipse plumage, many of the birds there were still going through it.
I spotted this American Crow drinking from a water fountain a short distance away. Funny that he would drink from here rather than the creek right below. Crows are very smart though and he's probably seen people drink the nice clean water from there.
Just a few pics to keep the audience satisfied!
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