Free Range Photography

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.

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

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.

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