Subject: [Tweeters] Late clutch of duck eggs feeds a mink
Date: Jul 30 15:11:11 2011
From: Rob Sandelin - nwnature1 at gmail.com


I was at Bob Heirman Park today looking mostly for bugs but could not help
but notice a duck in distress at a overgrown spot on the shore of the
backwater. The duck was just offshore in the water, quacking loudly and
constantly. I walked closer to see what the ruckus was about and a mink
popped its head up to look at me from the shore on the other side. There
was something funny about how it looked, I thought at first it was drooling
but looking through my bins it was clear the mink had egg on its face.
After a bit the duck swam off and the mink came out to the river to wash up
and wander downstream. I waded over and found 6 broken eggs and goo. To my
surprise, the mink which I had thought wandered off, had doubled back, and
from a distance of about 5 feet it popped out and hisssed at me. Not
wanting to incur further mustelid wrath, I waded back to the other side and
went about my bug catching.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer, Teacher
Snohomish County