Think MINK... again!

Camera Trap set
(Seneca Falls, NY 9/12)

The mink bonanza continues. I first wrote about my recent luck with mink here. Today I checked the set and swapped cameras. I put out a Cuddeback Capture and moved the Attack. I would like a few crisp color photos. I also repositioned the camera so it was pointing at a small opening that had lots of mink tracks and scat....

 I got some more mink pics but there were other visitors including:

Raccoon
(Seneca Falls, NY 9/12)

and

Greater Yellowlegs
(Seneca Falls, NY 8/12)

But we really want to talk about mink. Let's look at a few (or the same one twice?):

Mink
(Seneca Falls, NY 8/12)

Mink
(Seneca Falls, NY 9/12)

And a short video. This guy looks like he is burning calories and not gonna let anything go unnoticed.

Mink track
(Seneca Falls, NY 9/12)

With all this mink activity, there was bound to be some mink sign as well. There was some nice mud for tracks. Mink have five toes on the front and hind feet, however toe number one is "weak" and is not always obvious. Look carefully at both the tracks to see all five toes in each.









Mink scat and trail
(Seneca Falls, NY 9/12)

Here is a mink scat. What is particularly nice about this was the mink trail that was visible due to the mud transfer from the mink to the vegetation. Here is a wide angle shot. Use the boots as scale. Notice the mud all around the scat, as well as a trail of it going down and to the left. There is also a substantial trail heading toward the top of the photo.

Finally, a nice close up of the same scat. I did not collect this one to tease apart. Most members of the weasel family have this kind of ropy tapered-at-both-ends look. Oh, and if you missed the mud in the last photo you should be able to see it here with no problem.

Mink Den?

Mink nest
(Muller Field Station, Richmond, NY 09/2011)

Last weekend was the first session of my Wetland Mammals class. We stayed at the college's Muller Field Station. A few students were exploring and lifted a board only to have a mink dart out from under it and into the water. I took this photo and assume that the nest-like structure was made by the mink. I have read that mink are somewhat nomadic except during the breeding season and may move from one spot to the next each day. I am in the habit of only using the term den to refer to the place where young are raised, not simply the place you spend the night (or day). Perhaps I am being too fussy....

Mink scat
(Muller Field Station, Richmond, NY 09/2011)

In addition to the dried grass nest, there were several scats under the board as well. Now, I know I just wrote that mink MAY NOT use the same resting place for more than one night, but by default, that means that they MAY as well. This looked like a particularly good spot! It was within 5 feet of the channel, it had that nice drain pipe access and with the fields to the upland, it seemed to have it all. One of the scats was very runny. It was hard to photograph, but you can see it if you look closely tot he right of the obvious scat in the photo.



The students set eight camera traps and I set two of my own. We are due to check them in another week and I will post the results.