I went to Woodwalton Fen nature reserve for an evening walk. Right by the entrance I came across this Mink. It didn’t run away straight away, we stood staring at each other for a while which gave me the chance to get a couple of photo’s.
I must admit I’m not a lover of Mink due to the damage they can cause to our native wildlife. A Mink will prey on small mammals, birds and fish so can be a real menace. They are actually American mink that escaped from fur farms and have bred. Mink prefer to live by water so Woodwalton Fen is an ideal habitat for them. There is a European species of Mink but we’ve never had these in Britain.
I believe Natural England who maintain Woodwalton Fen will check for signs of Mink and trap them. Typically a Mink raft is used to capture these mammals.
It looks like this Mink has got a serious infestation of ticks!
Fen Photos. 