mink family

I took a walk along the creek behind our house a couple days ago and thought for certain I’d seen some mink tracks. We get a family unit of them about every other year that like the rocks on the other bank from us. We went to Red Lobster for din-din after a movies yesterday afternoon and did the lobster special so I brought some shells home and set them out last night in an onion sack covered with some loose snow. We just had some company leave and as we watched them go up the drive some movement caught my eye and here was a mink with my sack of shells in tow. lol.

I always enjoy seeing these critters. They are entertainment in their own right. Two years ago we watched a mother with 5 kits come to the water’s edge. She coaxed the young ones into the water but one was really reluctant to take the step. She and the four siblings went upstream for a swim and that little guys ran along side on the dry side until the others disappeared. We could here the mother call the little guy and finally he stepped off into the water and went like crazy to catch up. Fun stuff to watch. Hopefully this young lady has a den full again this year so we can watch her fish in the evenings and maybe we’ll get to see her give her brood swimming lessons again.

We had a family “nest” in our rock retaining wall a few years back. Only one year, not sure why they didn’t return. I see them around the slews/ponds here all the time.

Neat, in a healthy environment GOOD omen!

Prolly made the migration to your house when they were released years ago. Wouldnt doubt if you get a coon or two back there from time to time.

And woodchucks, possums, turkey, deer, fox, coyote. Never seen a skunk.

I see a lot on pools 6 & 7 while fishing the rip/rap shores. Always intriguing to watch how they investigate every little nook and cranny as the move along.

Fishing the Coon Rapids dam last fall a little guy would always pop out his hole and say hello for some time there. Never saw more than just the one. Coming from the river in Minneapolis tonight doing a little shore fishing the signs of spring are sure upon us. Had a huge beaver about 20yds to the south of me on the bank chomping down some brush and sticks and then an unexpected snort from the middle of the channel was a lone otter. Very cool, havent seen one of them since last summer, guess it gave its alert snort a few times to show my presence to the other wildlife coming alive down there. Bats, rabbits, and a week ago had a fox trot 10ft away from me who I think inhabits a small den on the sharp bank a ways down.

Of all the urbanized critters we see in our back yard, I think the mink are about as cool as any of them can get. The one I am refering that prompted this post was sliding down a steep part of the rocky habitat like an otter. Apparently its been doing the sliding for a while because I see a worn chute there when I put the binocs on it.

Trumar knows where I live. This is right in Rochester. We also see quite a few eagles following the river and creek. Last week we saw our second golden in the popular roost-tree in the park. Man, those are big birds.

The mink was out and about already this morning. She was in the drink when I spotted her. I suppose the suckers are starting to move up into areas where current is broken by rocks or other obstacles in the water and make easy targets. I figured I’d go down and try to find my bag of shells for the garbage can but I can’t see it anywhere.

I’ve seen one mink in my life when I was in my early 20s. I was fishing the shore line line when he popped his head up from the brush. I think I was mesmerized for about 10 minutes watching him.

I have seen plenty of river otters all across Minnesota. At one point I was wondering if it was an omen. I’ve seen them in Grand Rapids to Central Minnesota to the Minnesota River and Pool 2. I’ve seen them enough now that I can pick out their chipping noise that they make when it is in all the other sounds of nature.

It is pretty cool when a pod of them is running along a bank and playing, jumping in and out of the water and wrestling with each other. The only thing that stinks is they seem to always be moving so usually the disappear as fast as they appear.

Last week same spot there was this bloody mess right on the snow/ice ledge next to the water and only a lonely catfish head, completely untouched not too far away in the brush. Had to belong to a fish of at least 10pds easy. Not much meat on the head I guess.