Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 22:47:23 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: rob gibbs Subject: Re: Blue Heron vs Rodents MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I saw that picture at the visitor Center - pretty amazing! The rodent in question could have been a young muskrat but was most likely a marsh rice rat, similar to the Norway rat that is the typical "city rat" but somewhat smaller and common in coastal marshes. It is semi-aquatic and an important food for Marsh hawks, short-eared owls, barn owls, mink, and other marshland hunters, evidently including GB herons. What a cool thing to have been able to observe. Another possiblility is that it was a Norway rat they do occasionally take up residence in coastal marshes though usually near buildings or other human habitation. Rob Gibbs Damascus, MD Rick Sussman wrote: >In a message dated 2/19/2003 11:48:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, >denise_ryan@LCV.ORG writes: > >>. It looked like it was the >>size of your average city rat but it was out in the marsh >> > >Denise, > Any thought to the idea that it may have been a [young] muskrat? There was, >some time ago, a photo posted on the window at the visitor at Bombay Hook of >a Great Blue downing a [full-grown] muskrat! > >Rick Sussman >Ashton,MD >warblerick@aol.com > >======================================================================= >To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >======================================================================= > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================