They have a beak bill that stores the fish they catch before swallowing them -
Wildlife in your Garden
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Sassy Colombian
Member: Team PoP
A spring visitor. This groundhog loves munching on our grass. He lives somewhere around the neighborhood and always shows up around this time of the year. Took this pic from behind glass doors so not the best quality.
I live by a canal and I see them taking the baby geese, ducks and swans,
I live next to a canal and walk down it most days to get to the bus stop for work. Last week I saw a dark coloured creature with 5 little ones running alongside, looked like some form of large ferret, a bloke on one of the Narrow boats informed me it was a family of American Mink.
Outside of pollution, Mink are the single worst thing to happen to the eco system of any waterway.
Ruthless hunters, with no natural predators in this country (outside of humans ). They breed like mad, have incredible hunting skills and will eat anything they can - birds, chicks, small animals, birds eggs etc.
I don`t where you live, but if you go online, there`ll be a way of reporting what / where you saw them, as there`s mink " eradication " programmes on the go across the country and your area might be one that`s running one ?
They may look cute, but they`re very bad news.
I'm in Dudley in the Black Country. I believe they from the American Mink that were released in the wild by anti fur brigade years back. The bloke on the Narrow Boat said he was going to inform someone, obviously living on a canal he more clued up than me
JimmyJeffers
Player Valuation: £70m
Used to see them a lot round where I used to live but think otters returning took them out. Haven’t seen one for 20 years.
Otters, don`t take them, but they`ll push them out of their territory, with them being bigger and stronger.
A very real programme with the Otter recovery programme, is that if Mink have cleaned out a stretch of river of fish etc, it`s impossible to re introduce Otters to a " barren " area.
So the Mink have to be dealt with first and then either wait for the river to recover or re stock with fish.
if you haven`t seen a Mink for that long, someone is pro actively keeping it that way.
They really are bad news.
Not exactly wildlife but hoping it attracts even more birds
Saw my first Swallow of the year yesterday.
Anyone else seen any, as it seems to be really late this year ?
Also, saw Lapwings on the fields off Oglet Shore, going through their airborne courtship display, which again seems late ?
( I`ve found Lapwing nests with eggs in April in the past )
Anyone else seen any, as it seems to be really late this year ?
Also, saw Lapwings on the fields off Oglet Shore, going through their airborne courtship display, which again seems late ?
( I`ve found Lapwing nests with eggs in April in the past )
JimmyJeffers
Player Valuation: £70m
From the 8th may last year ? In the north east we would normally see around about April 20th with housemartins about a month later.
JimmyJeffers
Player Valuation: £70m
From 5th May previous year. Getting later. Would think they’d get earlier if anything. Sure I read that they were expected to be yearly residents at some point
So only a week late this year !
This years ones were in in Wales, haven`t seen any around by us yet - ( there`s a pair that nests on a neighbours security light in the front porch every year ! )
The Lapwings are deffo late though.