There was a nice family of minks out by one of the "islands", and I enjoyed watching them.
A female Belted Kingfisher landed briefly on the tree that holds the Osprey nest and rattled a bit there. I hoped to witness her fishing, but she didn't move from her perch.
There was a large flock of American Robins at the end of the dam, foraging along the trail and flying from tree to tree. They were quite noisy.
A couple of Hooded Mergansers flushed and flew to the back of the water. A pair of Mute Swans (boo) flew in and landed in the back of the water. I say "boo" because they are so hard on native wildlife, sometimes killing any competition they have for food or territory. A flock of geese passed overhead.
That about sums up today's walk. I am happy to report that the hardwood floor project is finally complete. Now to move everything back in!
Interesting. The Mink is considered a real pest hear. They used to be farmed for their fur. Some escaped and others were released by activists. Now they ravage our countryside, killing water voles and birds. Their numbers have been declining in recent years as our Otters have revived, with our rivers getting cleaner. The Otters chase the Mink away!
ReplyDeleteIs that a Red Squirrel? I thought you just had Grey. Oh yes, the introduced American Grey Squirrels are slowly chasing away our Red Squirrels!!
Hi Nick, I didn't realize it was introduced (by accident) in Europe. Yes, it's a North American Red Squirrel (range does not overlap with European Red Squirrel). Red and Gray are both common locally.
DeleteThe more I think about it, the more Mute Swans come to mind. Introduced from Europe, and originally only found on estates or in fancy park ponds, they were clipped and controlled. At some point, some escaped and now the population is out of control, has no enemy and is very dangerous to our native duck population due to aggression and competition for food supply. People tend to love them because they are graceful and beautiful, but they are becoming a serious problem.
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