I traveled the trail today with no problem (and with more ice-friendly footwear). Since the marsh is now ice-covered, and will likely remain so until spring, I find myself looking for signs of wildlife presence when I don't see any in the flesh.
I know that the muskrat population of the marsh is fairly large, which means there will be predators trying to take advantage of that abundance. A couple of weeks ago a fellow marshwalker reported that she had seen two red foxes on the ice, possibly after muskrat, as they are known to hunt them. (Other common predators of muskrats: mink, coyotes, raccoons, owls and hawks.)
This morning I saw the above scene next to the shore of the marsh. I'm pretty sure the holes in the ice were made by a muskrat, who may have a burrow in the bank. The footprints seem to be of the canine variety, so it looks like something was very interested in that muskrat. Since there are no signs of a struggle, it appears that nothing was 'predated' in this instance.
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