Nutria on the path

In case you were wondering, I do most of my training on the paths in The Woodlands. This works out well most of the time as the paths are shaded and winding and you can smell the honeysuckle along the way. There is also quite a bit of nature watching that can be done from the paths.

Usually, I run in the evenings, so I am most likely to come across a squirrel or two and maybe a bunny. Every now and then, I may see a snake or lizard sunning themsleves in the afternoon and they make a b-line for the woods as I get closer (thank heavens.)

On Saturdays, we start out very early. These days are for our long runs and we are up to 7 miles now (and I am running more and more of that.) Since the runs are so long and the heat is so stifling, we start out at 6 AM. I know that most of you are in the midst of sweet dreams at this time on a Saturday morning, but I have found that this is one of the most active times for wildlife along The Woodlands trails. Last Saturday, I saw deer grazing, and even had one along side us in the woods. I saw some very beautiful egrets.

And I also saw a family of nutria.

This was a new experience for me. I have heard that nutria are like rats on steriods, so I was glad I had never run across one. But as I saw this family of nutria swimming and gathering on the grass next to the path - oblivious to us runners by the way - I did not think they were that bad. They kind of remind me of beavers without the flat tail. I actually think they are sort of cute.

Many of my fellow teammates try to get by them as fast as possible. I actually like to look at them and see what they are doing. So now, I look forward to Saturday morning - not just for the run, but for the wildlife as well. I look forward to seeing the nutria on the path. I know - I am a bit weird.