OK, I admit it. I love the idea of someday spying a river otter over, say, a muskrat here on island. And despite the exciting news I heard last winter that a river otter was spotted crossing a snow-dusted road, and webbed tracks and dragging tail prints were photographed in deeper snow mid-island, even tell-tale scat documented by yours truly, I am learning to be equally loyal to any muskrat sighting.

It could be the rat thing; that scaly tail. Could be the rodent profile; those protruding teeth. But it could very well be that I just need to embrace muskrat love. While a secretive concealed telemetry device might someday let me follow a tagged and elusive river otter over here, I enjoy being left to my own devices: local traditional knowledge.

At the very eastern tip of Fishers Island there is a very territorial osprey that has a splendid view of Latimer Reef Light. There she guards her brood atop the telephone pole between Mud and Money ponds. Legend has it there is sunken treasure in one pond. As for me and my muddy map quest for muskrat love, this is where I found it, in a treasured moment (above).

Justine Kibbe is a naturalist for the Fishers Island Conservancy. A lifelong environmentalist, Kibbe offers weekly wildlife snapshots from the island. She can be reached at bjkibbe@gmail.com.