what is this creature?

cameramonkey

Seen yesterday near Heuston Station yesterday. It was swimming down stream being mobbed by Gulls, a Heron and an Egret.










Taken on phone so not great.

glaswegian

Otter?

Tigerandahalf

A mink chasing young chicks or going near a nest perhaps. Not sure if nesting is finished.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

A mink. Up to no good, as mink are want to.

cameramonkey

Was thinking it looked minkish. Are there many on that part of the Liffey?

corks finest

cameramonkey wrote:

Seen yesterday near Heuston Station yesterday. It was swimming down stream being mobbed by Gulls, a Heron and an Egret.

Mink , country is destroyed with them , especially around parts of Cork

Suckit

corks finest wrote: »

Mink , country is destroyed with them , especially around parts of Cork

Your post inspired me to look a little more. I had never known that they weren't native to Ireland, nor that there was a problem with them in Ireland..

https://www.irelandsown.ie/irish-widlife-the-american-mink/

The American mink first started breeding in the wild in Ireland during the 1950s. It was introduced here for the purposes of fur farming, but inevitably there were escapees. Many were released by animal rights protesters, who targeted fur farms and liberated the caged animals – unleashing a deadly new predator on our unsuspecting native fauna.

dodderangler

You can thank the animal right groups for that one

magicbastarder

dodderangler wrote: »

You can thank some animal right groups for that one

FYP.

dodderangler

magicbastarder wrote: »

FYP.

Come again?

magicbastarder

i changed 'the' to 'some'.

dodderangler

magicbastarder wrote: »

i changed 'the' to 'some'.

Got ya

seagull

Give them their proper title - half-witted environmental vandals.

Tacitus Kilgore

Mink. Wicked little things.


The endangered pine marten is also often mistaken for a mink and killed too (on top of minks killing them & forcing out of habitat).

Nice useful website here for more reading on Pine martens

https://pinemarten.ie/the-pine-marten/how-to-tell-a-pine-marten-from-a-mink/

Capercaillie

magicbastarder wrote: »

i changed 'the' to 'some'.

I think some mink farmers released mink intentionally at one point, the market collapsed and mink were near worthless. I stand corrected on that though.

Mink would escape from mink farms as well during the every day activities of the farm. How many times would cattle break out from farm during the year!

cameramonkey

https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/richard-collins/mink-are-public-enemy-number-one-31503.html

Seems like the first wild minks in Ireland were escapees supplemented then by the owners of mink farms who opened their gates when things got uneconomic and then by animal rights activists.

Stigura

Tacitus Kilgore wrote: »

The endangered pine marten / (on top of minks killing them & forcing out of habitat).

Where are ye getting this from, please?

magicbastarder

i've seen one or two anecdotal references to the contrary - that mink are being forced out by the resurgent pine marten.

dodderangler

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've seen one or two anecdotal references to the contrary - that mink are being forced out by the resurgent pine marten.

Not because the mink are killing them? Be a brave mink to take on a pine marten.
Could be that the mink are killing the food source of the pine marten but even then that’s doubtful

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

There is evidence that Otters are prolific mink killers and the numbers of mink have dropped in areas of increased otter numbers.

NEW WAVE

I came across a mink in the Boyne last year while out taking nature photographs in the afternoon. The mink was trying to catch something in the water. I was unable to make out what it was but the chase lasted a while going round in circles above and below the water. The mink finally got its prey and when I returned home and loaded up the photographs I had taken I realised the mink had caught a baby otter. I never saw any sign of the otter parents.

magicbastarder

dodderangler wrote: »

Not because the mink are killing them? Be a brave mink to take on a pine marten.
Could be that the mink are killing the food source of the pine marten but even then that’s doubtful

going by your response, i suspect you read my post the wrong way around?

Tigerandahalf

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've seen one or two anecdotal references to the contrary - that mink are being forced out by the resurgent pine marten.

Are you confusing this with the red and grey squirrel? Grey squirrel numbers are dropping where pine martens have increased, with the red squirrel numbers also increasing due to less competition from the grey.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/good-neighbours-how-pine-martens-are-helping-red-squirrels-survive-1.3822153

magicbastarder

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Are you confusing this with the red and grey squirrel?

Nope. As pine Marten numbers recover, it stands to reason that they might come in increasing conflict with mink. Which - if true - would not be positive for mink.

Suckit

Why are Pine Marten numbers growing so much?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

magicbastarder wrote: »

Nope. As pine Marten numbers recover, it stands to reason that they might come in increasing conflict with mink. Which - if true - would not be positive for mink.

Their habitats are very different. Mink are coming under pressure from Otters, Grey Squirrel are being heavily predated by Pine Marten.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Suckit wrote: »

Why are Pine Marten numbers growing so much?

The hunting for their skins and persecution by gamekeepers during the early part of the 20th century has seriously decreased. Their numbers are growing but still slowly.

magicbastarder

Jefferson Acidic Literature wrote: »

Their habitats are very different. Mink are coming under pressure from Otters, Grey Squirrel are being heavily predated by Pine Marten.

yep, as mentioned, i've just seen one or two anecdotal reports, but nothing of significance.

gozunda

dodderangler wrote: »

Not because the mink are killing them? Be a brave mink to take on a pine marten.
Could be that the mink are killing the food source of the pine marten but even then that’s doubtful

Mink are fekers which will take on just about anything. Photo of a mink taking on a swan. Never underestimate just how vicious they are.



Full YouTube footage here:
Warning - do not watch if you may get upset. Good news is the swan does make good its escape.

https://youtu.be/F0SsB1vQ3kU

In Ireland many thousands were deliberatly released by some of the more extreme animal right groups. The same mink went on to slaughter many of our indigenous wildlife....

dodderangler

gozunda wrote: »

Mink are fekers which will take on just about anything. Photo of a mink taking on a swan. Never underestimate just how vicious they are.



Full YouTube footage here:
Warning - do not watch if you may get upset. Good news is the swan does make good its escape.

https://youtu.be/F0SsB1vQ3kU

In Ireland many thousands were deliberatly released by some of the more extreme animal right groups. The same mink went on to slaughter many of our indigenous wildlife....

Have you seen a pine marten? Pine martens are worse when it comes to hunting. They’d take on things that mink can’t take on.
Pine marten could easily take on a mink.

gozunda

dodderangler wrote: »

Have you seen a pine marten? Pine martens are worse when it comes to hunting. They’d take on things that mink can’t take on.
Pine marten could easily take on a mink.

Never seen pine martens slaughter poultry wholesale the way mink do. They rip the heads off and leave then if they can get into a pen .The pine martens would be fairly scarce imo - never seen one around here - mink on the other hand- they are everywhere and they are (excuse de french) absolute fekers

Stigura

gozunda wrote: »

Never seen pine martens slaughter poultry wholesale the way mink do.

I have.

gozunda

Stigura wrote: »

I have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJH4yEBatz0[/url

v good..

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

He has seen no dead chickens though

baaba maal

dodderangler wrote: »

You can thank the animal right groups for that one

I know of a mink "farmer" whose cages were damaged in a storm leading to escapes and subsequent breeding. Some nutters release them deliberately, some numpties caused them to be released accidentally.

Eddie B

Mink / Pine Marten, not much of a difference really. One is a protected species, the other an invasive species. One is admired for its beauty, the other is detested for its hunting skills. I would agree that high pine marten numbers can effect mink numbers. Pine Marten like to hunt the banks of rivers / streams just like a mink. Otter' s can also put mink under pressure, but where food is plentiful, you will find both on a water system. Otter's are known to kill the odd mink.

Personally, I have great admiration for mink. I think they are a beautiful animal and a super predator. Unfortunately in high numbers, they put a lot of pressure on many species, and so their numbers must constantly be managed.

dodderangler

Eddie B wrote: »

Mink / Pine Marten, not much of a difference really. One is a protected species, the other an invasive species. One is admired for its beauty, the other is detested for its hunting skills. I would agree that high pine marten numbers can effect mink numbers. Pine Marten like to hunt the banks of rivers / streams just like a mink. Otter' s can also put mink under pressure, but where food is plentiful, you will find both on a water system. Otter's are known to kill the odd mink.

Personally, I have great admiration for mink. I think they are a beautiful animal and a super predator. Unfortunately in high numbers, they put a lot of pressure on many species, and so their numbers must constantly be managed.

I love mink myself. It is a pity they’re invasive and absolute killers. I e no problem with them killing pheasants. Pheasants aren’t supposed to be here either and are basically handreared chickens to be released and shot. No sport really.
But mink do kill everything else. Songbirds will take a big hit off them. Water voles etc too.
As someone that has hunted with ferrets I still cannot find the legality of using a mink to hunt. I’ve watched the mink man Joseph carter on YouTube for years and he uses mink for hunting fish and muskrats.
I can get a mink no problem. But I want to know the legal use of owning one.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

dodderangler wrote: »

I love mink myself. It is a pity they’re invasive and absolute killers. I e no problem with them killing pheasants. Pheasants aren’t supposed to be here either and are basically handreared chickens to be released and shot. No sport really.
But mink do kill everything else. Songbirds will take a big hit off them. Water voles etc too.
As someone that has hunted with ferrets I still cannot find the legality of using a mink to hunt. I’ve watched the mink man Joseph carter on YouTube for years and he uses mink for hunting fish and muskrats.
I can get a mink no problem. But I want to know the legal use of owning one.

The only legality is that as an invasive species you can't let one run loose outside your own property, so that would technically include releasing one to hunt.

dodderangler

Jefferson Acidic Literature wrote: »

The only legality is that as an invasive species you can't let one run loose outside your own property, so that would technically include releasing one to hunt.

Gonna have to release a few rabbits in my garden and a pond full of fish I guess
But seriously that’s a pity. But why is it ok to hunt rabbits with ferrets then because ferrets are not native to Ireland and will do just as much damage if they escaped

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

dodderangler wrote: »

Gonna have to release a few rabbits in my garden and a pond full of fish I guess
But seriously that’s a pity. But why is it ok to hunt rabbits with ferrets then because ferrets are not native to Ireland and will do just as much damage if they escaped

Oh, I'm not defending it. Just how it is. Mink are classed as an invasive species while ferrets aren't.

Suckit

dodderangler wrote: »

Gonna have to release a few rabbits in my garden and a pond full of fish I guess
But seriously that’s a pity. But why is it ok to hunt rabbits with ferrets then because ferrets are not native to Ireland and will do just as much damage if they escaped

Rabbits aren't native to Ireland either and there's not an Irish word for Rabbit..

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Suckit wrote: »

Rabbits aren't native to Ireland either and there's not an Irish word for Rabbit..

Coinín.

cameramonkey

Jefferson Acidic Literature wrote: »

Coinín.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coin%C3%ADn


From anglo norman

partyguinness

corks finest wrote: »

Mink , country is destroyed with them , especially around parts of Cork

Yes there was an illegal mink/ferret farm (can't remember which) around the Cork/Kerry border that were released into the wild in the early 90's.

There was a spat of domestic young animals killed. We had a new litter of kittens mauled to death. My poor sister was 6-7 at the time and she went into the shed one morning to pet on them and it was a blood bath. 4/5 dead kittens and blood everywhere- they had no escape. Just seemed like a random act of violence as the kittens were not eaten. That's when we found out about the release a few weeks earlier.