Death of a Mink (1 Viewer)

[alan_rymer]

I received a text last night that our last raft with Common Tern and BH Gull chicks on had be cleared by mink. We have three large rafts on two Gravel Pits, and all had been predated this year and this one for the second time.

I arrived early at the hide this morning and was lucky enough to see a "probable" female Marsh Harrier flapping slowly across a windless gravel pit heading north to south. Adult Terns occaisionally hovered above the raft looking down occaisionally. On the rafts we have a few wooden shelters to allow chicks to get away from agressive adult gulls and someone noticed a mink sleeping underneath one of them. Discussions were held a and a call was placed to a contact who had a licenced .22 rifle with an x9 scope. The distanced was about 110 metres and after several near misses the mink scrambled over the wire and luckily swam towards us. Its amazing how someone can miss what appears to be quite a large moving target. Anyway it climbed up the bank and stopped and was at last despatched.

Thats one mink that will not be getting any more chicks or producing offspring.:king:

 

[John Cantelo]

Mink farmers and not least animal liberationists have got a lot to answer for
Mink are just the only vertebrate in UK that i could manage to kill without the slightest remorse

NB apologies for the lack of punctuation as my laptops keyboard has suddenly decided not to co_operate!

 

[Farnboro John]

I have my doubts about this whole tern raft thing. Do we really think that sea terns are natural inland breeders? Do they use islets in the Lake District lakes?

Come to that, how do gull colonies survive mustelid predation (by e.g. stoats and polecats, both of which are native to Britain)? Is it by being very large? Is the encouragement of inland small gull/tern colonies actually inappropriate?

Understand me, I am not defending Mink. However, what Alan and his shooter friend have achieved by their action is a big fat nothing. Next spring another Mink will have moved in. The only thing that can justify killing Mink is a national eradication project and that I truly advocate. Perpetual control killing in a few areas is wrong.

John

 

[Bird_Bill]

Have similar ongoing program for Least Terns that nest on sandbars in mississippi river. Rafts protects from individuals as illustrated below. Spike strips might be more efficient than firearms. Predation by mink, river otter, racoon, spotted & stripped skunks, reptiles and birds isnt the problem. Its the ATV's that makes rafts the only alternative.

http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/western-kentucky-man-charged-with-disturbing-nests-endangered-bird/

 

[John Cantelo]

I have my doubts about this whole tern raft thing. Do we really think that sea terns are natural inland breeders? Do they use islets in the Lake District lakes?

Come to that, how do gull colonies survive mustelid predation (by e.g. stoats and polecats, both of which are native to Britain)? Is it by being very large? Is the encouragement of inland small gull/tern colonies actually inappropriate?

Understand me, I am not defending Mink. However, what Alan and his shooter friend have achieved by their action is a big fat nothing. Next spring another Mink will have moved in. The only thing that can justify killing Mink is a national eradication project and that I truly advocate. Perpetual control killing in a few areas is wrong.

John

Well, over much of their world range Common Terns nest well away from the sea so finding them doing so on inland waters is quite natural even those waters are themselves artificial. Of course a systematic eradication project is to be preferred, but culling a single animal may yet have merit particularly it is an example that others will follow. Encouraging small colonies can add a ot to the enjoyment of such places at minimal cost and may play a part in developing an awareness of/interest in wildlife - itself no bad thing. As to how gull/tern colonies might have survived before our intervention surely one factor is that today there are fewer safe/potential nesting sites meaning that birds are forced to return to one area where predators will have grown to expect an easy food source. In the past a heavily predated colony would have had more flexibility to move on to alternative sites,

 

[Mayo Corncrake]

Alan,
You could perhaps try and put out some humane cage traps for the mink. They would have to check them daily though. Bait them with sardines. There is probably more of them around.

 

[devon.birder]

Alan,
You could perhaps try and put out some humane cage traps for the mink. They would have to check them daily though. Bait them with sardines. There is probably more of them around.

After you have humanely trapped the mink what do you do with it? Roger

 

[etudiant]

After you have humanely trapped the mink what do you do with it? Roger

Muff?

 

[flossiepip]

The NZ way is to be very aggressive and trap on a large scale and use poison drops and predator proof fencing for Islands and mainland Islands. Its a never ending job but the only way, its war!

 

[Phil Andrews]

After you have humanely trapped the mink what do you do with it? Roger

I might to wrong but doesnt the law state that once trapped, minks cant be released - not sure being shot a 50 metres or 50 cms makes much of a difference to a mink.

Whilst its not their fault, they are vicious killing machines who (based on my observations at Upton Warren, Worcs) can go through gull and tern colonies overnight. They are also not afraid to tackle prey many many times their size; I will see if I can find a link to one taking a Grey Heron at the aforementioned Upton Warren.

 

[alan_rymer]

I have my doubts about this whole tern raft thing. Do we really think that sea terns are natural inland breeders? Do they use islets in the Lake District lakes?

Come to that, how do gull colonies survive mustelid predation (by e.g. stoats and polecats, both of which are native to Britain)? Is it by being very large? Is the encouragement of inland small gull/tern colonies actually inappropriate?

Understand me, I am not defending Mink. However, what Alan and his shooter friend have achieved by their action is a big fat nothing. Next spring another Mink will have moved in. The only thing that can justify killing Mink is a national eradication project and that I truly advocate. Perpetual control killing in a few areas is wrong.

John

John

Next year the rafts will have a nice shiny metal skirt around them so the mink cannot climb up them.
We have rafts because the pits are part of the flood plain and the islands regularly flood.
Traps are in the process of be purchased.

 

[etudiant]

John

Next year the rafts will have a nice shiny metal skirt around them so the mink cannot climb up them.
We have rafts because the pits are part of the flood plain and the islands regularly flood.
Traps are in the process of be purchased.

Given algae fouling, it may not be long before the mink find access.
They are very agile indeed and can climb almost anything they can get a claw into.

 

[Bird_Bill]

Algae doesnt seem to be a problem with rafts used for Least Terns here in US. Always USFW, Corp. of Engineer staff, state authorities and volunteers from various organizations to service. Added benefit is to Piping Plovers that nest in proximity to Terns. Does disperse colonies and reduce the impact of a single catastrophic event. Link below shows whats used in martime locations around St.Petersburg,Fla. Rafts on Mississippi river from Vicksburg to St.Louis are much the same.

http://saintpetersburg.wtsp.com/photo-gallery/community-spirit/125703-least-terns-float-rafts

 

[etudiant]

Algae doesnt seem to be a problem with rafts used for Least Terns here in US. Always USFW, Corp. of Engineer staff, state authorities and volunteers from various organizations to service. Added benefit is to Piping Plovers that nest in proximity to Terns. Does disperse colonies and reduce the impact of a single catastrophic event. Link below shows whats used in martime locations around St.Petersburg,Fla. Rafts on Mississippi river from Vicksburg to St.Louis are much the same.

http://saintpetersburg.wtsp.com/photo-gallery/community-spirit/125703-least-terns-float-rafts

That looks like a wonderful project!
I'm not sure it is mink proof, but it is working, which is what matters.

 

[captaincarot]

well done, see mink, kill mink, it's the only feasible way forward, please continue and even if possible escalate the task.

 

[Farnboro John]

Given algae fouling, it may not be long before the mink find access.
They are very agile indeed and can climb almost anything they can get a claw into.

Or they can grasp protruding nails, or even an overlap point in the metal sheets.

They can lunge upwards from the water quite a long way too. I don't think metal skirting will help much.

Incidentally was the shooter using lead bullets - not the best thing for particularly a wetland environment? What was down-range in the direction of fire, and how far would a .22 ricochetting from the water continue? I'm not a Health and Safety freak but I'm not impressed with the planning process here.

John

 

[alan_rymer]

Given algae fouling, it may not be long before the mink find access.
They are very agile indeed and can climb almost anything they can get a claw into.

etudiant

The metalwork will begin above the waterline and will continue up for at least 12"/30cm. I spoke to someone who watched the previous attack describe the mink as "swimming all the way around the raft and attempting to climb and failing many times, utill eventually succeeding ).
Link to picture of one of the rafts.
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=323104&d=1304716980

 

[alan_rymer]

Or they can grasp protruding nails, or even an overlap point in the metal sheets.

They can lunge upwards from the water quite a long way too. I don't think metal skirting will help much.

Incidentally was the shooter using lead bullets - not the best thing for particularly a wetland environment? What was down-range in the direction of fire, and how far would a .22 ricochetting from the water continue? I'm not a Health and Safety freak but I'm not impressed with the planning process here.

John

John

A risk assessment was carried out. The "shooter" works for a local organisation and is used to doing risk assessments that allow him to do his job. Part of his occupation is vermin removal. The site is private and no unofficial access is allowed around the pit. The far side is grass covered landfill, ie a large mound. I do not know if the bullets were lead, but I do know they were subsonic.

 

[Farnboro John]

John

A risk assessment was carried out. The "shooter" works for a local organisation and is used to doing risk assessments that allow him to do his job. Part of his occupation is vermin removal. The site is private and no unofficial access is allowed around the pit. The far side is grass covered landfill, ie a large mound. I do not know if the bullets were lead, but I do know they were subsonic.

Happy, thanks.

John

 

[Mayo Corncrake]

After you have humanely trapped the mink what do you do with it? Roger

Get an air rifle and shoot it in head. You can throw the cage into a barrel of water and drown it, but that is a cruel and slow way to kill an aquatic animal like a mink. At least with a humane cage trap you can release non-target animals like a young otter if they get trapped.