St. Valentine's Snow

The nice dusting of snow this morning, made for some fresh tracks during my morning activities.  I was pleased to find this track along a creek.  

It belongs to an American Mink, a species that I personally have seen rebound over the last five or six years.  I very rarely saw them, and then in 2010, i started to notice them more often.  During the winter of 2011, a deer hunter remarked on the two noisy "ferrets" he heard and saw fighting along the creek.  They weren't ferrets, but American Mink and at least now you have a vague picture of what they look like.  A mink has a long sleek body, that is about 2 feet in length and their fur can range in color from black to light brown.  The tail is very long, approximately 1/3 of the length of the animal.  They are found along forested rivers and streams.  They can dive to depths of 16' and they are very territorial.  The males will loudly fight for territory (as the hunter found out).  To learn more about mink, and other animals that reside in our neighborhood join us on Saturday for our Wildlife in Winter Series.  Click HERE for more information.