northeast-flora-and-fauna

This was one of my favorite animals that I spotted this year, a North American River Otter . I believe it was on August 20 that I first glimpsed them at Dukes Brook. Unfortunately I couldn't wait around that day to get a picture because I was scheduled for a volunteer shift as an Outdoor Educator. When the shift was over I went back to the brook but was unable to find them again. (I suspect they had moved someplace quieter.) A few days later I was back and looked for them along Dukes Brook. The 1st 3 spots I checked showed no signs of them, but at my 4th spot along the brook I struck paydirt. At least 2 otters were romping in and out of the water, fitting since a romp is the collective name for a group of otters. River otters will mostly eat aquatic animals, including fish, crustaceans, reptiles, and amphibians. Waterfowl are also taken if they can get close enough. Muskrats are on the menu; reports vary about whether beavers are taken. My guess is that fully grown Common Snappin...

I'm going to show this American Mink from 4 and a half years ago for Throwback Thursday. This little fella was spotted during a birdwatching program; I proposed that we consider the mink to be an honorary bird. 😄 American Mink were named due to their resemblance with the European Mink , though as mustelids go the 2 species aren't especially closely related. They are considered to be the top animal in the fur trade; fortunately for them, the mink coat market isn't strong enough for them to get hunted to extinction. In some ways it made them more widespread because they've been introduced to Europe where they're now considered an invasive species. Though they will hunt in water and can swim pretty deep when they want to, American Mink are fairly versatile little predators. They can climb trees, and their streamlined bodies are well suited to going into burrows after rodents, rabbits, etc. They're generally considered nocturnal, so we were a little lucky to run i...