• Saturday-What'sUP August 30 - 07:42 am

Next time your traveling across the U.P. headed to either the eastern or western ends, take the time to stop at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, as Tim Bertsos recently did. Tim was lucky enough to spot a swan feasting on something in the water and he made the observation that it's a "long crooked way to the stomach" of that bird.

One of the other critters Tim spotted was this muskrat, who seems like he's swimming directly toward Tim and his camera. Looks like he's moving along pretty well, leaving rippled waters behind him.

Is that Muskrat Susie or Muskrat Sam???

I like the swan. They are commonplace on Grand Traverse Bay + Boardman Lake in Traverse City.

Biggest turtle I ever did see was at Seney. Big snapper that had to be at least 3' across the shell, with a head the size of a grapefruit.

I need to make it back there, and get off the path. I've done the driving trail and the hiking trail, but I'd really like to explore some of the more remote areas of the preserve.

That even looks like it might be a Trumpeter swan. Not as endangered as they used to be, but still rare to spot in the wild....

Trumpeters have black beaks, as opposed to black and yellow, which the more "domestic" variety has.

When we lived in Charlevoix there were 2 swans that hung around Round Lake outside our condo. We were told that all the swans found in Michigan descended from two swans that were brought to Charlevoix from England by a local lady many, many, many years ago. Does anyone else know of this legend?

I've been to Seney NWR several times. I always enjoy the drive, but I've never had a whole lot of luck seeing wildlife. Last year that changed as I spotted a couple of pileated woodpeckers. I got out of the truck and followed them around for awhile and I was able to get a few photos of them. I thought that was pretty thrilling!