American Mink

bee.jacbs-You're very welcome. Thank you again!! I looked online but also talked to two people I know who used to trap and hunt. I talked to one who said he used to find dead Muskrat with holes poked through their skulls and all the blood drained out of them. He thinks it was the work of a Mink that developed a taste for blood which I guess is higher in protein than meat. He based his theory on the tracks he found around the Muskrats hut or lodge built out in the ice but based on what he said nothing was eaten, only the blood was consumed...mini Vampires, yuck Sorry for being so graphic but its what he said when I asked him. I've personally seen them eating freshly caught fish, ducklings and goslings from waterfowl nesting in the cattails and reeds along the river and dead waterfowl. I was told they love raw eggs, anything else I wouldn't know. Biggest clue are the tracks in the snow along the river; see where they come and go the most, then park yourself down and wait. Good luck to you! :-)))

Hi Janelle, Thank you for your advice and information! It seems like you've done lots of research on the topic. We were also affected by the drought last year with similar effects. I don't think we got enought snow to make up for it, but heres hoping. Congratulations again on the well deserved National Geographic recognition. Keep up the great spottings!

bee.jacbs-Thank you so much!! I've never seen them eat or attack Muskrat but we do have or used to have a lot of them up here. I found found one Muskrat all winter where in winters past I've seen dozen of them in all areas along open water in the river. We had a pretty bad drought up here that lowered water levels everywhere but especially in sloughs which basically dried up completely last summer/fall. Hoping all the snow we got this winter will help bring them back to normal levels. I think animals will eat or will adapt to eating whatever they can if necessary. This winter I've had both Gray Squirrels and Blue Jays eating beef suet. Two winters ago I had a Robin that stayed all winter and began eating peanuts I put out. I've also had Chipmunks and Squirrels eat orange halves I put out for my woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and other such birds. I also noticed a lot of birds eating the whole-kernel corn I put out for deer that I've never eat it before: White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Chickadees, etc...along with the usual (for me) Blue Jays. I was told by a former trapper that Mink like raw eggs but I tried earlier in the year putting a few out in a different area of the river and nothing ate them. I also tried Salmon and Tuna (packed in water not oil) but only saw bird tracks where I'd put it out. I gave up trying to make friends with them with food and eventually got these images. On Saturday I went out looking for anything but other than fresh tracks never saw any of the migrating waterfowl, Mink, etc...I'd been seeing previously. On Sunday morning another big storm came through which makes me wonder where everything went and how they know to leave or seek protection easily 24 hours prior to a storm's arrival. I've heard barometric pressure but I don't know if that's a fact or not. Good luck!! Look for tracks, areas of open water and places that teem with waterfowl and you should find them. :-)

Congratulations on your other mink getting the National Geographic spotting of the week. It is well deserved! I'm going to have to take your advice and look for these guys more in the winter. In South Dakota they say one of the Mink's favorite foods is Muskrat. :)

Thank you so much, Joshua Asel! I've never met a Mink I didn't like. To date I've had four or five close encounters and never once did they act or behave aggressively and they were all very beautiful to behold. :-)

i really like the dance between the dark tones of earthy blue and red. love this little guy :)

RiekoS-Thank you! :-)

Nice!

Thanks, YukoChartraw!!

patty-Too many images of this handsome fellow to upload in one group so I separated them. To see the ones of it with its prize "catch of the day", look at the images or second posting I did of him or her following these yesterday. Thank you!!

Nice!

Nice series and encounter Janelle; I don´t know if the mink fished, but you got its picture =)

Anne Marie McCaffrey-A fellow fan then at least and I saw you're living in Costa Rica? Soooo jealous! I dream of returning one day but fear nothing could ever compare to that first visit. I swear I left my heart there. So magic and varied a place with such amazingly nice people. :-)

Thank you so much, Lee Williams! Right?!! We feel blessed whenever we get the chance. :-)))

Not that I'm aware of Janelle - I also enjoyed the Dragonrider series - her name caught my eye and that's how I discovered her books.

Really neat that you got to see one. Great pictures!

Anne Marie McCaffrey-Any relationship to one of my all-time favorite authors Anne Inez McCaffrey? LOVED her Dragonriders of Pern series. Sorry, just had to ask. Thank you so much! :-)

Great spotting, very nice pics.

MonaPirih-Thank you! :-)

Very nice and cute..... :)

bee.jacbs-Thank you! Really? That's mainly when I see them. We hang out near areas of the river that stay open all winter doing wildlife photography (Trumpeter Swans, Canadian Geese, Common Goldeneye, etc...) so we see them a lot. I was and continue to be amazed by how little the local waterfowl seem to care about their proximity. I've never seen a Mink attack a living bird but I have watched them dining on their dead bodies as well as fish. I've had them approach me or run towards me but usually they're so focused on hunting they don't realize I'm there until we're 5-8 feet apart and then usually they high-tail it in the opposite direction. "-)

Great shots Janelle! I love seeing these guys. I've never seen them in the winter though. Wonderful spotting!