Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Mink Encounter

January 15, 2012 was a banner day! I left home to walk around the local lake and try for some muskrat photos. The sun was out and it was bright, the temperature was 12° with a strong wind. Arrived at my favorite shooting location and didn't have to wait long until a muskrat was swimming back to the bank den. Captured three good images of the muskrat with bright blue sky reflecting on the surface of the creek.
Three minutes later a mink appeared on the opposite shore, directly across from my location. It didn't seem to notice me while I shot image after image of the mink as it explored every nook and cranny. It worked its way downstream about one hundred twenty feet continually poking around, then to my amazement it dove into the creek. The mink swam to my side, me photographing it all the way.


A mink searching for a meal 

The mink continued to investigate every hole and crevice as it headed towards me. I wasn't able to see much of the mink, just a quick glimpse of part of its body, allowing me to track its progress. When the mink reached the muskrat feeding house its progress halted on a shelf of ice at water level, behind the hummock. There was a great deal of activity behind that hummock. From the movements that I could see, I think the mink was eating something, a fish I'd guess, but I was never able to see what it had caught. 
What happened next made my day! The mink peered over the top of the hummock, looking directly at me. I shot eleven images with just its head showing. It disappeared, then reappeared on top of the hummock giving me eleven more great shots. The mink disappeared again only to reappear once more, this time on the ice from behind the hummock. It was very curious about me and was only thirty five feet away. I captured eight more great images before the the mink went on its way, traveling downstream and out of sight. 


Mink checking me out

  The mink on the hummock




 Satisfying its curiosity before moving on

Click on any image for a larger version


You can see more mink photos on my website:

Thanks for visiting,
Bunch