Mink in a Tree

[Brian Bailey]

I was really surprised to see this mink run up a tree this afternoon.
Mink by Brian Bailey, on Flickr
I can't recall ever seeing one climb a tree before.  The other unusual thing was that he was a good 500 metres from the nearest water.
Horrible lighting, but I like this pose:
Mink Square by Brian Bailey, on Flickr

BB

[JW Mills]

Nice!
I once saw a mink about 30ft up in a tree in Lambton Woods, sure surprised me!
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=4957&p=18758#p18758

[Brian Bailey]

I'd never seen one climb a tree, but it's not surprising that they can. It seemed odd at the time, but in retrospect, for a mink that's a long way from water, it might be a good defensive strategy when meeting a large predator like a coyote.

This one only went up about 2.5 metres. I wonder if yours was actually hunting up there.


BB

Sent from my birdroid using Tapatalk.

[Axeman]

The climbing is a new one to me too...although thinking about it...I guess it's not a surprise given the other mustelids  (fishers, pine martens) climb trees.

I have seen mink far from water -- the nearest water being small tributaries nearly 10 km away -- but I attributed it to the fact that decades earlier there had been a mink farm in the immediate area and the rumour was that when the owner couldn't afford the farm, he let his stock loose. Whether he did or not, undoubtedly there were escapees.

Fabulous pix !