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Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Mink at Lab Valley

We visited Lab Valley last weekend. In addition to pondering the scintillating topic of sconces, I checked a few trail cameras.

I had heard through the grapevine that there might be a few river otters in the creeks in the Lab Valley area. River otters are considered "extremely threatened" in our state. At one point, they had vanished from the state but then wildlife officials reintroduced them in 1976. They've gradually increased in numbers since then but still aren't common.

A friend said that she'd seen the tracks of an aquatic mammal on a snow covered creek in the spring months. You can imagine that I was motivated to set up a couple of cams to try to get footage of animals on the creek that goes through Lab Valley.

Believe it or not, I got some footage of an aquatic mammal right away, and some of the footage was in the daytime. One cam captured the animal bounding along on the snow atop the creek. Another cam captured footage of him hunting under our bridge. He swam under the ice, doubtless fishing.

It took me a while to figure out but it turns out that the animal was a mink. The clearest difference is that mink are much smaller than otters. An otter can be the size of a medium dog or the same length as the coyote who appears in the video. A mink is about half that size.

I am excited that we have a mink but I am still hoping for river otters. I'll keep you posted! Check out the video.

21 comments:

  1. that's so great that they live in lab valley now...may it become their place furever and ever...

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  2. What wonderful footage of the river otter. They're such adorable animals. Otters were close to extinction in the UK due to a combination of chemical pollution of rivers and of hunting. But since hunting was banned and the waterways cleaned up they've staged a recovery and are now quite widespread (although still elusive). I occasionally see one when out walking with Bertie, but have never managed to catch one on camera!

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  3. They are so graceful and beautiful. Loved the video!

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  4. Hari Om
    OOOooohhhhhh, super excitement!!! YAM xx

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  5. they sure are quick, we have a few in the park, where bob used to fly his planes. i have seen them twice, but it was low light and could not get photos. we were shocked a couple of years ago, driving the the YMCA at 5:20 am one came bounding out of a ditch and across the road in front of us and off down into the other ditch. i have talked to regular walkers at the park and they see them almost every day.. in a protected place they are doing well. so cute

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  6. I've been messaging with wildlife experts, and the consensus is that this is a mink. An otter is as big as a medium sized dog, and minks are much smaller, kind of like the one in this video. In the video, there was a coyote who crossed the creek at the same place as this animal. The coyote was much longer, nose to tail, than the aquatic mammal. That indicates that it was not an otter but probably a mink. Sorry about that!

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  7. The river otter cams are wonderful they are quick as greased lightning....I see from your comment above these are minks...they are still very quick
    Hugs Cecilia

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  8. What cute footage you captured. We've had mink on our property over the years too but have only caught brief glimpses of them. Since we have a creek on our property they have most often been seen there.

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  9. That is soooo cool. You have your own wild animal park in your back yard. Betsy

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  10. How fun. You've so many precious critters all around. I'm happy that you share them with us too.

    Have a fabulous day. Scritches to the pups. ♥

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  11. Wow, that is impressive footage. I'm sure they are well insulated against the cold water.

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  12. We sure enjoyed seeing the otters, they're sure fun to watch!

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  13. Oh my gosh!! How adorably cute is that little guy?! 🦦

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  14. Busy little fellows, and in the daytime, what a treat for us all to see this. Mink or otter, still totally wonderful. Lab Valley gives more delights all the time.

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  15. What a fun video. I love otters! Can you imagine taking a dip in that icy water?

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  16. I can see your Valley is going to give you endless pleasure - so many different creatures to watch. Loved your video.

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  17. Oh, they look like fun! So many great wild creatures for you to keep tabs on.

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  18. How fun to see!! Otters or mink, we really enjoyed watching them; they sure are fast.

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  19. Mink, though not rare, are quite amazing in their own right. And who knows, otters may show up on your cameras someday too. Wouldn't surprise me. :-)

    Chris from Boise

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