Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Mustelidae

With a weather forecast of rain and mixed precipitation for a few days (8-10 September 2014), there were a couple of places that I thought I had better get to straight away. The first one was Brown-Lowery, to check if there were any mushrooms. I was there recently, and only found a couple of things. Yesterday's visit was slightly more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch an adult and a juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a MInk that a friend had told me about (thanks, Phil!). Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them (see a photo uploaded today). One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs/feet that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing OK. I was luckier with this Mink, catching it in a couple of very quick shots. I did post a similar shot previously, but decided to post this one as well, as I very rarely ever see one of these animals. This particular one had a really dark coat. There were various things blocking part of my view, which is why I got pale or discoloured patches in the lower half of the image. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mink "Mink are ferocious predators that are about the size of a housecat and chocolate-brown in color. Their long, thin bodies, short legs, small eyes and ears, and sleek fur make them just the right size to fit in many holes, crevices and burrows to pursue prey. They may eat ground squirrels, rats, snakes and even birds. Mink are also semi-aquatic and their webbed feet allow them to capture frogs, clams and even fish .... They are generally shy creatures but can be very bold if their curiosity is piqued. Those who are fortunate to observe a mink’s behavior should use caution. The animals have scent glands under the skin and when they get excited or stressed, musk is released. The obnoxious odor can be just as repulsive as a skunk’s." A different website, for Alberta, states that Mink eat ducks, fish, Muskrat and other small birds and rodents. www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/mink.htm IT TAKES UP TO 65 MINK TO MAKE JUST ONE FULL-LENGTH FUR COAT!!!

With a weather forecast of rain for tomorrow and mixed precipitation for Tuesday and Wednesday, there were a couple of places that I thought I had better get to yesterday. The first one was Brown-Lowery, to check if there were any mushrooms. I was there recently, and only found a couple of things. Yesterday's visit was more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi, seen in the next photo. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch an adult and a juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a MInk that a friend had told me about (thanks, Phil!). Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them. One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing OK. I was luckier with this Mink, catching it in a couple of quick shots. There were various things blocking part of my view, which is why I got pale or discoloured patches in the lower half of the image. On the walk back to my car, I was lucky enough to see a distant doe and her two fawns. Apparently, she had three, so we were wondering if something had happened to one of them. Maybe a Coyote? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mink "Mink are ferocious predators that are about the size of a housecat and chocolate-brown in color. Their long, thin bodies, short legs, small eyes and ears, and sleek fur make them just the right size to fit in many holes, crevices and burrows to pursue prey. They may eat ground squirrels, rats, snakes and even birds. Mink are also semi-aquatic and their webbed feet allow them to capture frogs, clams and even fish .... They are generally shy creatures but can be very bold if their curiosity is piqued. Those who are fortunate to observe a mink’s behavior should use caution. The animals have scent glands under the skin and when they get excited or stressed, musk is released. The obnoxious odor can be just as repulsive as a skunk’s." A different website, for Alberta, states that Mink eat ducks, fish, Muskrat and other small birds and rodents. www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/mink.htm IT TAKES UP TO 65 MINK TO MAKE JUST ONE FULL-LENGTH FUR COAT!!!

Another lucky shot of this very distant Long-tailed Weasel, seen on 24 March 2014, while several of us were waiting by our cars at the Pine Creek Sewage Treatment Plant on 194 Ave SE. Thanks so much for spotting this little guy, Wayne! Not easy to see something that is still wearing its white, winter coat against the snow. As you can see, spring is here in name only. It was snowing all day yesterday and again today. So glad I forced myself out the door - I go on so few walks any more - or I would have missed this Weasel sighting. Not a whole lot of birds to be seen on this walk and all were too far away to photograph, but it's good to see that some of the birds are gradually returning: Canada Goose-4000+ AMERICAN WIGEON-6 Mallard-1500 Bufflehead-60 Common Goldeneye-300 BARROW'S GOLDENEYE-1 m Common Merganser-7+ Bald Eagle-3 (2 ad./1 juv.) Ring-billed Gull-2+ California Gull-10+ Northern Flicker-2 Black-billed Magpie-16 American Crow-1 Common Raven-2+ Black-capped Chickadee-3 European Starling-40+ "The long-tailed weasel is the product of a process begun 5–7 million years ago, when northern forests were replaced by open grassland, thus prompting an explosive evolution of small, burrowing rodents. The long-tailed weasel's ancestors were larger than the current form, and underwent a reduction in size to exploit the new food source. The long-tailed weasel arose in North America 2 million years ago, shortly before the stoat evolved as its mirror image in Eurasia. The species thrived during the Ice Age, as its small size and long body allowed it to easily operate beneath snow, as well as hunt in burrows. The long-tailed weasel and the stoat remained separated until half a million years ago, when falling sea levels exposed the Bering land bridge, thus allowing the stoat to cross into North America. However, unlike the latter species, the long-tailed weasel never crossed the land bridge, and did not spread into Eurasia." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_weasel

A lucky shot of this very distant Long-tailed Weasel, seen yesterday (24 March 2014) while several of us were waiting by our cars at the Pine Creek Sewage Treatment Plant on 194 Ave SE.. Thanks so much for spotting this little guy, Wayne! Not easy to see something that is still wearing its white, winter coat against the snow. I managed to get a second shot, too, showing the long tail with its white tip, which I'll post sometime. As you can see, spring is here in name only. So glad I forced myself out the door - I go on so few walks any more. Not a whole lot of birds to be seen on this walk and all were too far away to photograph, but it's good to see that some of the birds are gradually returning: Canada Goose-4000+ AMERICAN WIGEON-6 Mallard-1500 Bufflehead-60 Common Goldeneye-300 BARROW'S GOLDENEYE-1 m Common Merganser-7+ Bald Eagle-3 (2 ad./1 juv.) Ring-billed Gull-2+ California Gull-10+ Northern Flicker-2 Black-billed Magpie-16 American Crow-1 Common Raven-2+ Black-capped Chickadee-3 European Starling-40+ "The long-tailed weasel is the product of a process begun 5–7 million years ago, when northern forests were replaced by open grassland, thus prompting an explosive evolution of small, burrowing rodents. The long-tailed weasel's ancestors were larger than the current form, and underwent a reduction in size to exploit the new food source. The long-tailed weasel arose in North America 2 million years ago, shortly before the stoat evolved as its mirror image in Eurasia. The species thrived during the Ice Age, as its small size and long body allowed it to easily operate beneath snow, as well as hunt in burrows. The long-tailed weasel and the stoat remained separated until half a million years ago, when falling sea levels exposed the Bering land bridge, thus allowing the stoat to cross into North America. However, unlike the latter species, the long-tailed weasel never crossed the land bridge, and did not spread into Eurasia." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_weasel

Taken on 23 April 2013 in Fish Creek Park. Several of us were treated to seeing more than one of these beautiful wild Mink, but I haven't heard of anyone seeing them again for many weeks. I guess we were just really lucky with our timing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mink "Mink are ferocious predators that are about the size of a housecat and chocolate-brown in color. Their long, thin bodies, short legs, small eyes and ears, and sleek fur make them just the right size to fit in many holes, crevices and burrows to pursue prey. They may eat ground squirrels, rats, snakes and even birds. Mink are also semi-aquatic and their webbed feet allow them to capture frogs, clams and even fish .... They are generally shy creatures but can be very bold if their curiosity is piqued. Those who are fortunate to observe a mink’s behavior should use caution. The animals have scent glands under the skin and when they get excited or stressed, musk is released. The obnoxious odor can be just as repulsive as a skunk’s." A different website, for Alberta, states that Mink eat ducks, fish, Muskrat and other small birds and rodents. www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/mink.htm

Mink are fast-moving animals, so I was lucky when this one stopped for a brief moment, in a local park on 28 April 2013. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mink "Mink are ferocious predators that are about the size of a housecat and chocolate-brown in color. Their long, thin bodies, short legs, small eyes and ears, and sleek fur make them just the right size to fit in many holes, crevices and burrows to pursue prey. They may eat ground squirrels, rats, snakes and even birds. Mink are also semi-aquatic and their webbed feet allow them to capture frogs, clams and even fish .... They are generally shy creatures but can be very bold if their curiosity is piqued. Those who are fortunate to observe a mink’s behavior should use caution. The animals have scent glands under the skin and when they get excited or stressed, musk is released. The obnoxious odor can be just as repulsive as a skunk’s." A different website, for Alberta, states that Mink eat ducks, fish, Muskrat and other small birds and rodents. www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/mink.htm

Managed to find five or six sharpish photos amongst a number of others that came out blurry. Not sure if it was my excitement that caused this or the fact that the Mink's fur was quite wet in many of the photos : ) Always a real treat to see one of these beautiful animals, and it's fun to watch these rather curious - and vicious! - creatures. This is the second time I've seen one in a local park, close enough to see it properly. Seen others maybe two or three times but from a huge distance. I never realized, until perhaps a couple of years ago, that we had Mink here. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mink "Mink are ferocious predators that are about the size of a housecat and chocolate-brown in color. Their long, thin bodies, short legs, small eyes and ears, and sleek fur make them just the right size to fit in many holes, crevices and burrows to pursue prey. They may eat ground squirrels, rats, snakes and even birds. Mink are also semi-aquatic and their webbed feet allow them to capture frogs, clams and even fish .... They are generally shy creatures but can be very bold if their curiosity is piqued. Those who are fortunate to observe a mink’s behavior should use caution. The animals have scent glands under the skin and when they get excited or stressed, musk is released. The obnoxious odor can be just as repulsive as a skunk’s." A different website, for Alberta, states that Mink eat ducks, fish, Muskrat and other small birds and rodents. www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/mink.htm Flickr is acting very slow again today - have also had two or three white, blank pages. The problem that some of us are having is apparently being worked on.

Just managed to get three shots of this little mink when it made an appearance on 28 April 2013 - all three were very washed out, but I managed to make this one just about fit to post. They have wonderful fur, so richly coloured. Between 30 and 70 Mink die in order to make a full-length fur coat! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mink "Mink are ferocious predators that are about the size of a housecat and chocolate-brown in color. Their long, thin bodies, short legs, small eyes and ears, and sleek fur make them just the right size to fit in many holes, crevices and burrows to pursue prey. They may eat ground squirrels, rats, snakes and even birds. Mink are also semi-aquatic and their webbed feet allow them to capture frogs, clams and even fish .... They are generally shy creatures but can be very bold if their curiosity is piqued. Those who are fortunate to observe a mink’s behavior should use caution. The animals have scent glands under the skin and when they get excited or stressed, musk is released. The obnoxious odor can be just as repulsive as a skunk’s." A different website, for Alberta, states that Mink eat ducks, fish, Muskrat and other small birds and rodents. www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/mink.htm

I was so thrilled to see this Mink in a local park yesterday. I had seen about three before, but not much more than a brief, distant speck in the far distance in other parts of the park. So, this is the first photo I have taken of one. Unfortunately, yet again it was crummy weather, no light and very light rain. Almost every photo came out badly, but I managed to "rescue" this one. Thanks so much for the help, Kathy! This is the way to see a Mink - not skinned and used as part of a woman's fur coat! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mink "Mink are ferocious predators that are about the size of a housecat and chocolate-brown in color. Their long, thin bodies, short legs, small eyes and ears, and sleek fur make them just the right size to fit in many holes, crevices and burrows to pursue prey. They may eat ground squirrels, rats, snakes and even birds. Mink are also semi-aquatic and their webbed feet allow them to capture frogs, clams and even fish .... They are generally shy creatures but can be very bold if their curiosity is piqued. Those who are fortunate to observe a mink’s behavior should use caution. The animals have scent glands under the skin and when they get excited or stressed, musk is released. The obnoxious odor can be just as repulsive as a skunk’s." A different website, for Alberta, states that Mink eat ducks, fish, Muskrat and other small birds and rodents. www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/mink.htm

Terrible, terrible quality photo, but wanted to add this to my Wild Animals of Alberta set. I'm quite sure this was a once-in-a-lifetime sighting, when a few of us saw a mother Least Weasel with her eight almost full-grown babies, in Fish Creek Park on October 22nd. This was one of the youngsters. We were on a 3+ hour walk in Fish Creek Park (between Votier's Flats and Bebo Grove), when suddenly this adorable family of Least Weasels scuttled through the grass and tangles near the edge of the path. There were eight of these little velvety babies (nearly full-grown, 5.5 inch long) moving "en masse". Amazing to watch them move, for the most part all huddled together.

A terrible quality photo, but I just had to post this - I doubt I will ever see anything like this again! A group of us were on a 3+ hour walk yesterday morning in Fish Creek Park (between Votier's Flats and Bebo Grove). when suddenly this adorable family of Least Weasels scuttled through the grass and tangles near the edge of the path. There were eight of these little velvety babies (nearly full-grown, 5.5 inch long) moving "en masse". Amazing to watch them move, for the most part all huddled together. In this image, they were struggling to get under this log and out the other side to catch up with Mom. You can't just push in front of everyone to get photos, so I wasn't able to move to where I could see them properly - however, better crummy photos than none at all : ) (Map location - a very wild guess at where we saw them, ha). "The least weasel (Mustela nivalis) is the smallest member of the Mustelidae (as well as the smallest of the Carnivora), native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, though it has been introduced elsewhere. It is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and presumably large population. Despite its small size, the least weasel is a fierce hunter, capable of killing a rabbit 5-10 times its own weight." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_weasel

Mink are fast-moving animals, so I was lucky when this one stopped for a brief moment, in a local park on 28 April 2013. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mink "Mink are ferocious predators that are about the size of a housecat and chocolate-brown in color. Their long, thin bodies, short legs, small eyes and ears, and sleek fur make them just the right size to fit in many holes, crevices and burrows to pursue prey. They may eat ground squirrels, rats, snakes and even birds. Mink are also semi-aquatic and their webbed feet allow them to capture frogs, clams and even fish .... They are generally shy creatures but can be very bold if their curiosity is piqued. Those who are fortunate to observe a mink’s behavior should use caution. The animals have scent glands under the skin and when they get excited or stressed, musk is released. The obnoxious odor can be just as repulsive as a skunk’s." A different website, for Alberta, states that Mink eat ducks, fish, Muskrat and other small birds and rodents. www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/mink.htm