Comments on: West Park

By: Anna Ercoli Schnitzer

Anna Ercoli Schnitzer — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:48:18 +0000

Just back from a lovely early morning stroll through West Park. Although no muskrat came out to greet me, I did see a mama Mallard with a dozen little ones (I counted only 11 but a more knowledgeable park visitor corrected me); two male Mallards crazily chasing a female; a beautifully-colored swallow dipping over the water; a grayish hummingbird checking out the flora; numerous birds singing loudly whose identity I could not ascertain; and about a dozen human beings walking by, several accompanied by their canine companions. I also met Ed who was tending Project Grow; he was very friendly and invited me back when the produce was ready to be harvested. He contributes what he grows in the garden to the homeless, he says, and also teaches folks how to build the attractive garden boxes. I recommend a visit to West Park; with its new configuration, it has become an inviting place, completely different from the sort of scary, isolated venue I remember from fifteen years or more years ago.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:24:33 +0000

It would be a band with an attitude, if it kept true to its mascots. I love their smugness.

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:40:25 +0000

When I saw Vivienne’s comment, I could not help thinking “Love Mallards” is a great band name. I hope someone is putting together that band right now.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:27:57 +0000

Love mallards. Must go.

By: Susie

Susie — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:10:17 +0000

Saw the muskrat, at least 10 ducklings, and three adult mallards – a male and two females – on the pond yesterday evening.

By: George Hammond

George Hammond — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:45:34 +0000

Had a delightful moment walking over the pond this evening. There was a family of mallards (9+ ducklings!), the muskrat, swallows or chimney swifts swooping low overhead eating bugs, and tree frogs calling from the trees and bushes.

By: TJ

TJ — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:16:37 +0000

Thanks, George, for the great zoological insight!

Saw the muskrat this morning, moving grass around. Tadpoles are still small and without legs.

By: George Hammond

George Hammond — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:18:03 +0000

Muskrats might move in the storm drain system, and can also move overland for at least a mile, strictly at night. They are very vulnerable on land, so only leave their home wetland if they have to, either because of over-crowding (they are territorial) or the habitat changes and is no longer suitable. I once saw one walking through a front yard on Division Street near Hill in the middle of the night.

Despite the name, muskrats are more closely related to lemmings and voles than to rats. They are mainly herbivore, eating roots, stems, and shoots of aquatic plants, especially cattail tubers. Once in a while they’ll eat crawfish, mussels, and other aquatic animals. The one in West Park is grazing on the grass around the pond — I’ve seen it out a couple of times, swimming with a bundle of grass in its mouth.

By: Dan Ezekiel

Dan Ezekiel — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:47:26 +0000

I saw the West Park pond muskrat too and was amazed. I asked Dave Szczygiel how it could have gotten there, and he suggested storm sewers, but said they also hike overland. I saw a runover dead muskrat in the middle of Sunset Rd. near Forsythe the other day, which supports the hiking idea, as there is no body of water close by.

By: John Floyd

John Floyd — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:15:06 +0000

George,

How would a muskrat get to West Park? Through the sewers? It’s hard to imagine them walking up Chapin after a trek from the river. Sort of “Make Way for Muskrat-ings”.

I hope you are right about the runoff, with its potential abatement as the grass grows, but this body still looks like a Gallup Pond backwater to me.