Glimpses of American Mink

Glimpses of American Mink

Tiny and quick, when an American Mink makes an appearance it is always a thrill, and then a challenge, to follow the activity of this fierce member of the weasel family as it goes about its business along the river.

A couple months ago I was lucky enough to see a family with two youngsters at this same bend in the river, and watching this one I saw today made me wonder if this were one of those youngsters now out on its own.

A very brief pause in the almost constant movement.

It was diving off the same rocks as mom was back in late July

Dive after dive, the mink was unsuccessful
Here, something from above seemed to cause some alarm.
After one of many dives, a small fish was finally caught and quickly brought out of the water and into a secret hiding place to be consumed in safety. Then it got quiet for awhile and I remembered that all those weeks ago, the two youngsters took a siesta after being fed right in this same pile of boulders on the edge of the water while mom went off upstream.

I decided to wait and see if the mink would reappear after the presumed napping, and sure enough, about 30 minutes later, the mink reappeared, perfectly dry. It began doing some kind of rhythmic marking not unlike what I have seen otters do many times. Tail erect and eyes closed, the whole animal focused on this task.

Then it was back to the river again.
With any luck, I’ll see this creature again, and be reminded of how wildness connects us all.

The video shows the mink making progress along the river to its fishing spot.

3 responses to “Glimpses of American Mink”

  1. latskojerry Avatar

    That was a kick. I still have never seen one in person that wasn’t being worn by some silly person. Thanks.

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  2. suhaylahheinzle1983 Avatar
    suhaylahheinzle1983

    wow!! 39Glimpses of American Mink

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Pop Goes the Weasel – Free Range Photography Avatar

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