Have any of you noticed the furry little creatures that have been showing up along the shoreline? They're pretty quick so it's been hard to tell if they were muskrats, beavers, ferrets... who knows! Scott was convinced they were minks but I had trouble believing him. Having spent years growing up on Lake Erie, I'd never seen a mink before. But he was right. The minks are back. According to Carol Ward, our local park naturalist, minks are an indicator species - they show up when a waterway has recovered and is "clean". This sounds like good news. Carol even caught one on camera.
From Wickipedia:
Their long slim body is covered in glossy, thick dark brown or black fur with a white patch under the chin. They have short legs with partially webbed feet, which make them excellent swimmers.
They can be found in wooded areas and fields near streams and lakes. They dig burrows in river banks or take over dens abandoned by other animals.
They feed on small mammals, fish, crayfish, frogs and other amphibians, also sometimes eating birds, insects and earthworms. These animals are mainly active at night and do not hibernate. Their predators include coyotes, the Great Horned Owl, red foxes and wolves. They are also trapped for their fur. Their numbers have been reduced due to loss of habitat and the effects of pollution on their aquatic food supply.
They are usually solitary animals.
