Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: semiaquatic

Yesterday, 20 April 2017, I had to move my vehicle for the whole day so that the City could clean the whole area. I don't have an up-to-date street parking pass, which meant that I needed to find something to fill my day - instead of being at home, working on my Taxes! A morning walk at Carburn Park took care of around three hours - the only birds close enough for photos were an American Robin, two Franklin's Gulls, and a Canada Goose : ) Afterwards, I called in at a local wetland and photographed a Mallard, a busy Muskrat - and a Canada Goose, lol. Not a very friendly Goose, either, though he must have a nest somewhere in the area. Hissed at me and followed me part way down the path. I had to go back along the same path to get to my car, and waited till the Goose was as far away as possible before I hurried back. Oh, there was also a Ring-billed Gull that was standing on the bridge railing, letting me take some nice, close shots. "An adult muskrat is about 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.7 to 1.8 kg (1.5 to 4 lb). Muskrats are much smaller than beavers (Castor canadensis), with whom they often share their habitat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat I can't wait till I can start editing my photos from Day 5 of our Trinidad & Tobago adventure! First, though, I have to finish my Taxes and try again to make an appointment.

"An adult muskrat is about 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.7 to 1.8 kg (1.5 to 4 lb). Muskrats are much smaller than beavers (Castor canadensis), with whom they often share their habitat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat This photo was taken yesterday at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. It was yet another cold, very overcast day and I almost didn't go. However, I had not been out of the house for several days in a row and just needed to get out somewhere. The lighting was atrocious, though this photo came out reasonably OK. The next photo, of a Great Horned Owl, is really bad quality, but I wanted to post it just for the record. Many thanks for the morning walk, Janet and Bernie, and for lunch at the Blackfoot Diner/Truckstop. Just what was needed after a cold walk. I will add their final list of species in a comment box below.

Five birding friends and I had a most enjoyable day trip east of Calgary on 16 April 2016. The weather was gorgeous, with perfect clouds that were reflected in every pond/slough/wetland that we came across before the breeze disturbed the water. I think the main highlights for me were a Western Meadowlark that flew to a tall post just about within camera reach; a mixed pair of Red-tailed Hawks (one light morph and the other dark) perched together in a far away tree; and a beautiful LEUCISTIC Merlin (i.e. paler than it should be) that three of us were lucky enough to see after the group split up to start our journey back to Calgary. It was enjoying a snack on top of a very tall utility pole. Also, this little Muskrat was fun to to watch along the shore at Chestermere Lake. "An adult muskrat is about 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.7 to 1.8 kg (1.5 to 4 lb). Muskrats are much smaller than beavers (Castor canadensis), with whom they often share their habitat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat "Leucism is an abnormal plumage condition caused by a genetic mutation that prevents pigment, particularly melanin, from being properly deposited on a bird’s feathers. As a result, the birds do not have the normal, classic plumage colors listed in field guides, and instead the plumage have several color changes, including white patches where the bird should not have any; paler overall plumage that looks faint, diluted or bleached; or overall white plumage with little or no color discernable." From birding.about.com. birding.about.com/od/identifyingbirds/a/leucism.htm Our leader, Terry Korolyk, always writes such a detailed account of each trip, so there is no point in my repeating some of the information. Many thanks for another great day (including the write-up), Terry, and many thanks, Tony, for the ride! “Today's Nature Calgary Field Trip had beautiful weather for its trip east of Calgary. We met just west of the Rowing Club around 9:30 A.M., checking the Reservoir there firstly, then, heading east on Glenmore Trail. The only bird of note on the Reservoir was a Common Loon in the bay at the Yacht Club. We then headed east on Glenmore Trail turning south on Stoney Trail going as far as 114 Avenue where we turned left driving to 84 Street, then, going south to Ralph Klein Park. Birds of particular interest at the Park included American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt and, Lesser Yellowlegs, the latter of which we had the pleasure of observing a couple of flocks of significant size one of at least 70 birds fly in. This was a particularly good sign for the day as we saw many Yellowlegs totalling 227 birds in the final analysis. From Ralph Klein Park, we kept south on 84 Street to 146 Avenue where we turned east driving to Range Road 284 where we turned north checking sloughs along the way to Township Road 232 where we turned we turned east, then north on to Range Road 283. We followed Range Road 283 to Chestermere Lake stopping at the Dam; then Sunset Park on the east side of the Lake; then, the north end of the Lake north of Highway 1A. From there, we drove under the Trans-Canada Highway through the subdivision on the east side of the Highway to McElroy Slough. From McElroy Slough, we kept eastward on Inverlake Road driving to Highway 9, then, from Highway 9 south to Highway 560, turning east at the 4-way junction there driving to Weed Lake. From Weed Lake, we headed westward towards Calgary checking a slough at the Highway 560-Range Road 284 junction, then, from there we stayed westward to Stoney Trail turning north on Stoney Trail turning off at Peigan Trail, then westward on Peigan past the City of Calgary Landfill. We had many highlights; the most important of which was a mixed pair of Red-tailed Hawks. Of the pair, one adult was a RUFOUS MORPH bird; the other was a light-phase EASTERN RED-TAIL. The pair were together, but, I cannot divulge the location as this a sensitive pairing (rare). You can contact me if you wish more details. The birds have nested at this site previously. I did not see them there in 2015, but, saw them there previously 2 out of 3 years. I believe young were probably raised in at least one year; the year when the JAEGERS were at Weed Lake (POMARINE and PARASITIC). I believe it was 2013. At that time while going out to the Lake I noticed at least 3 rather unusual-looking Red-tails on the west side of Weed Lake and west of Weed Lake. Other highlights were an ALBINISTIC American Wigeon at a slough on Range Road 280 just south of Inverlake Road. The bird had 2 large white clear patches on each side; an incredible LEUCISTIC MERLIN photographed by Tony Timmons at the 4- way stop in Langdon (it looked like a miniature white-morph Gyrfalcon with a banded tail); five hybrid TUNDRA-TRUMPETER SWANS at McElroy Slough, and 50 AMERICAN PIPITS at a shallow wetland on 146 Avenue just east of 104 Street. Northern Pintail was the most numerous Duck of the day with 1621; American Wigeon came in at 1017; and, Northern Shoveler came in at 962. BLACK-NECKED STILTS and AMERICAN AVOCETS were a particularly wonderful sight at the south end of Weed Lake and at Langdon Corner Slough, which is at the Highways 1 and 9 junction. Two SWALLOWS were seen briefly at the Dam at Chestermere Lake, but, we were unable to identify them. One other DARK MORPH Red-tailed Hawk was seen, and 4 American Kestrels were seen. The City of Calgary Landfill had excellent numbers of Gulls; I would estimate their numbers at 1500 for anyone interested in doing some Gullwatching this coming week.”

Five birding friends and I had a most enjoyable day trip east of Calgary two days ago, on 16 April 2016. The weather was gorgeous, with perfect clouds that were reflected in every pond/slough/wetland that we came across before the breeze disturbed the water. I think the main highlights for me were a Western Meadowlark that flew to a tall post just about within camera reach; a mixed pair of Red-tailed Hawks (one light and the other dark) perched together in a tree; and a beautiful LEUCISTIC Merlin (i.e. paler than it should be) that three of us were lucky enough to see after we split up to start our journey back to Calgary. It was enjoying a snack on top of a very tall utility pole. Also, this little Muskrat was fun to to watch along the shore at Chestermere Lake. "An adult muskrat is about 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.7 to 1.8 kg (1.5 to 4 lb). Muskrats are much smaller than beavers (Castor canadensis), with whom they often share their habitat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat "Leucism is an abnormal plumage condition caused by a genetic mutation that prevents pigment, particularly melanin, from being properly deposited on a bird’s feathers. As a result, the birds do not have the normal, classic plumage colors listed in field guides, and instead the plumage have several color changes, including white patches where the bird should not have any; paler overall plumage that looks faint, diluted or bleached; or overall white plumage with little or no color discernable." From birding.about.com. birding.about.com/od/identifyingbirds/a/leucism.htm Our leader, Terry Korolyk, always writes such a detailed account of each trip, so there is no point in my repeating some of the information. Many thanks for another great day (including the write-up), Terry, and many thanks, Tony, for the ride! “Today's Nature Calgary Field Trip had beautiful weather for its trip east of Calgary. We met just west of the Rowing Club around 9:30 A.M., checking the Reservoir there firstly, then, heading east on Glenmore Trail. The only bird of note on the Reservoir was a Common Loon in the bay at the Yacht Club. We then headed east on Glenmore Trail turning south on Stoney Trail going as far as 114 Avenue where we turned left driving to 84 Street, then, going south to Ralph Klein Park. Birds of particular interest at the Park included American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt and, Lesser Yellowlegs, the latter of which we had the pleasure of observing a couple of flocks of significant size one of at least 70 birds fly in. This was a particularly good sign for the day as we saw many Yellowlegs totalling 227 birds in the final analysis. From Ralph Klein Park, we kept south on 84 Street to 146 Avenue where we turned east driving to Range Road 284 where we turned north checking sloughs along the way to Township Road 232 where we turned we turned east, then north on to Range Road 283. We followed Range Road 283 to Chestermere Lake stopping at the Dam; then Sunset Park on the east side of the Lake; then, the north end of the Lake north of Highway 1A. From there, we drove under the Trans-Canada Highway through the subdivision on the east side of the Highway to McElroy Slough. From McElroy Slough, we kept eastward on Inverlake Road driving to Highway 9, then, from Highway 9 south to Highway 560, turning east at the 4-way junction there driving to Weed Lake. From Weed Lake, we headed westward towards Calgary checking a slough at the Highway 560-Range Road 284 junction, then, from there we stayed westward to Stoney Trail turning north on Stoney Trail turning off at Peigan Trail, then westward on Peigan past the City of Calgary Landfill. We had many highlights; the most important of which was a mixed pair of Red-tailed Hawks. Of the pair, one adult was a RUFOUS MORPH bird; the other was a light-phase EASTERN RED-TAIL. The pair were together, but, I cannot divulge the location as this a sensitive pairing (rare). You can contact me if you wish more details. The birds have nested at this site previously. I did not see them there in 2015, but, saw them there previously 2 out of 3 years. I believe young were probably raised in at least one year; the year when the JAEGERS were at Weed Lake (POMARINE and PARASITIC). I believe it was 2013. At that time while going out to the Lake I noticed at least 3 rather unusual-looking Red-tails on the west side of Weed Lake and west of Weed Lake. Other highlights were an ALBINISTIC American Wigeon at a slough on Range Road 280 just south of Inverlake Road. The bird had 2 large white clear patches on each side; an incredible LEUCISTIC MERLIN photographed by Tony Timmons at the 4- way stop in Langdon (it looked like a miniature white-morph Gyrfalcon with a banded tail); five hybrid TUNDRA-TRUMPETER SWANS at McElroy Slough, and 50 AMERICAN PIPITS at a shallow wetland on 146 Avenue just east of 104 Street. Northern Pintail was the most numerous Duck of the day with 1621; American Wigeon came in at 1017; and, Northern Shoveler came in at 962. BLACK-NECKED STILTS and AMERICAN AVOCETS were a particularly wonderful sight at the south end of Weed Lake and at Langdon Corner Slough, which is at the Highways 1 and 9 junction. Two SWALLOWS were seen briefly at the Dam at Chestermere Lake, but, we were unable to identify them. One other DARK MORPH Red-tailed Hawk was seen, and 4 American Kestrels were seen. The City of Calgary Landfill had excellent numbers of Gulls; I would estimate their numbers at 1500 for anyone interested in doing some Gullwatching this coming week.”

An overcast morning today, 22 October 2015. The sun is supposed to shine this afternoon - I'm just hoping it won't rain, as I washed my car yesterday and vacuumed it out, ready for the arrival of winter. I then dropped it off at my Tire place to get my winter tires put on today - thought that if I left it any longer, too many people would be making appointments to get the same done. Another thing completed this week was having two people come and remove everything from my tiny back yard. It had become one tangled jungle mess and, as I can't bend or kneel to do anything, it had been become totally out of control. It now looks completely bare and wonderfully tidy! That big, black cloud that has been hanging over my head for years has finally gone, and it feels so good. On 16 August 2015, I went with a group of friends to Carburn Park to look for Warblers and several species were seen by at least some of the group. Group size was much too large even after splitting in half, but I think everyone was so thankful that it wasn't raining, unlike the previous day of heavy rain, that they came out to enjoy the sunshine. I enjoyed seeing a Merlin, a number of Double-crested Cormorants, and several Pelicans that flew overhead. Without binoculars, I didn't really see any of the Warblers, except for a quick glimpse of one Yellow-rumped Warbler. As you can see from this photo, my eyes were not always looking upwards : ) On any birding walk, I'm always looking around me to see what else there is to photograph. We tend to walk on such uneven ground, that my eyes are mostly downwards anyway, making sure I don't catch my foot in a hole or go flying over a fallen branch or log. This little Muskrat was near one of the ponds there, busy looking for food. Their little hands are so cute, I always think. "An adult muskrat is about 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.7 to 1.8 kg (1.5 to 4 lb). Muskrats are much smaller than beavers (Castor canadensis), with whom they often share their habitat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat

On 16 August 2015, I went with a group of friends to Carburn Park to look for Warblers and several species were seen by at least some of the group. Group size was much too large even after splitting in half, but I think everyone was so thankful that it wasn't raining, unlike the previous day of heavy rain, that they came out to enjoy the sunshine. I enjoyed seeing a Merlin, a number of Double-crested Cormorants, and several Pelicans that flew overhead. Without binoculars, I didn't really see any of the Warblers, except for a quick glimpse of one Yellow-rumped Warbler. As you can see from this photo, my eyes were not always looking upwards : ) On any birding walk, I'm always looking around me to see what else there is to photograph. We tend to walk on such uneven ground, that my eyes are mostly downwards anyway, making sure I don't catch my foot in a hole or go flying over a fallen branch or log. This little Muskrat was near one of the ponds there, busy looking for food. Their little hands are so cute, I always think. "An adult muskrat is about 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.7 to 1.8 kg (1.5 to 4 lb). Muskrats are much smaller than beavers (Castor canadensis), with whom they often share their habitat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat

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!!!

Temperatures got up to around 32C or 33C yesterday afternoon, 16 July 2014. My desk thermometer said it was 32C in my computer room, so I knew I just had to get out for a while, to enjoy the air-conditioning in my car. The backroads SW of the city come in handy when I don't have a lot of time, and I can usually find something of interest to photograph. I had pulled over to check a pond for birds, when this little Muskrat appeared. It stopped not far from me and checked me out for a while, lol, giving me a chance to get a few shots. "An adult muskrat is about 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.7 to 1.8 kg (1.5 to 4 lb). Muskrats are much smaller than beavers (Castor canadensis), with whom they often share their habitat." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat

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

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 remember being so puzzled when I saw a patch of red moving across the pond at Bridlewood on 7 June 2011. When it got closer, I realized that it was a Muskrat carrying a bouquet of Carnations (that someone in one of the nearby houses obviously threw out) in its mouth, lol! Ha, ha, what with my female Mallard with beautiful snowflakes on her feathers, and now this .....

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

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