Flight Pond visitors

breakemall

I always thought that when there were otters in an area that they cleared out the mink, until now.

My flight pond has a very small stream running through it and I knew I was getting visits from an otter over the last few years thanks to my scout cams (plus his taste for ducks and gold fish). After much experimenting over the last 12 months (as a result of him killing 13 adolescent ducks one night) a three strand electric fence seems to have finally deterred him and on the night of 15th August at 22.16 he tested the fence (his route brings him my way once a month or so) before retreating, and next morning at 8.36 the camera picked up a mink in the exact same spot.

Over the last 8 years this is the first time I have evidence of mink so time to relocate the traps...

This season I also had another first when a little grebe/dab chick appeared for a few weeks even though the nearest large body of water would be a good distance away. Arrived with flighting mallard?

Duck numbers seem well up this year (although there are still some ducks around at the "flapper" stage who visit the pond via a hike up the stream), and some teal (resident?) are knocking around too.

The summer has also seen the water hens rear 2 broods (9 eggs first time around with 6 hatches) with the second hatch of 2 chicks only a fortnight ago.

I have uploaded a few video stills for those interested.

How are other ponds fairing?

Half-cocked

I release 60 eight week old Mallard at the start of the month. I still have 59. There are Otter and Mink in the area but so far no problems - the pond isn't connected to the nearby river. Little Grebes and Moorhens both nested successfully.

mallards

I released 50 mallard on my pond around seven weeks ago. They seem to be using the flight line of the wild birds from a nearby lough. Due to top up the auto feeders tomorrow so I'll be able to see how they're really doing this year. First flight is still a month away though.

Eddie B

I have Otters in all the area's I trap, and lots of mink in the same area's. Don't think Otters are a huge deterrence IMO.

breakemall

Eddie B wrote: »

I have Otters in all the area's I trap, and lots of mink in the same area's. Don't think Otters are a huge deterrence IMO.

Up until now my knowledge on otter v mink was anecdotal based on what I read, both my visitors are obviously not well read...

I do notice from the cameras that the mink visits in daylight hours whereas the otter is strictly nocturnal so perhaps it is the case on this occasion that their paths have not crossed yet?

The biggest water rat I have ever seen has also appeared now, just just waiting to see whether it or the mink gets trapped or meets the otter first.

Eddie B

breakemall wrote: »

Up until now my knowledge on otter v mink was anecdotal based on what I read, both my visitors are obviously not well read...

I do notice from the cameras that the mink visits in daylight hours whereas the otter is strictly nocturnal so perhaps it is the case on this occasion that their paths have not crossed yet?

The biggest water rat I have ever seen has also appeared now, just just waiting to see whether it or the mink gets gets trapped or meets the otter first.

The only way an Otter would catch a Mink is in open water, and that wouldn't happen very often IMO. A Mink is fast, and has lots of little places to escape from an Otter.