The trailcam picked up this unexpected visitor to the (still evaporating) pond just a few weeks ago – an American Mink.
The date stamp on the footage is wrong – the batteries ran flat just before and it didn’t get reset. It was actually sometime on 27th September.
Not sure if this is good or bad news!
Isn’t this really bad news for our spring nesting bird population? Should we be worried? Can anything be done?
That’s a good question that I’d not thought about. I do like additional diversity but this may be one not welcome. I think the best we can do is bring it to the attention of WKWT and let them worry about it. Weasels (related, smaller) also have the ability to prey on ground-nesting birds but aren’t considered to be a problem. These are certainly present in the wood – one ran across the path in front of me some months ago.
I’ve made WKWT aware of this, although there’s little they can do on the strength of one sighting. George Green pointed out that they are normally seen closer to water (as in some of their other reserves) so we may never see another. A bit like the single polecat sighting we had about 10 years ago.
I think I’ve seen it run in front of me. It ran across the path way by the bit where the children play making dens, near the entrance. It was about six months ago.