[devon.birder]

Threatened colonies of Arctic Terns on Lewis have deserted their normal breeding sites at Gress, Stenish and Ness and have moved to Aird Point where 102 nests have been counted. Apparently the Arctic Terns were being killed by mink at their former breeding sites.
My wife and I spent a week on Lewis and Harris in May but we did not see any mink during our stay there. I presume the Corncrake which we did see must also be at risk from this menace. Perhaps the Scottish Executive would be better off issueing a licence to kill the mink rather than Gannets.

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by devon.birder

Perhaps the Scottish Executive would be better off issueing a licence to kill the mink rather than Gannets.

Indeed!

By the way, do Mink swim? If not how come they are on Lewis?

[Bluetail]

Damned sure they would, devon.birder. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[devon.birder]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Indeed!

By the way, do Mink swim? If not how come they are on Lewis?

Yes Andrew, Mink do swim. I doubt that they swam to Lewis though, more likely they escaped or were released from mink farms. Roger

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by devon.birder

Yes Andrew, Mink do swim. I doubt that they swam to Lewis though, more likely they escaped or were released from mink farms. Roger

Ah thanks. So I feel better in saying it would be a justified cull (for mink that is) as they should not be there in the first place.

[devon.birder]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Ah thanks. So I feel better in saying it would be a justified cull (for mink that is) as they should not be there in the first place.

Mink should not be in the wild anywhere in the UK, they are not a native British mammall.

[Mickymouse]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Ah thanks. So I feel better in saying it would be a justified cull (for mink that is) as they should not be there in the first place.

It sticks in my throat to say it but for once I agree on a cull and to make it worse doesn't a cull imply just reducing numbers to a managable number? In this situation I would have thought eradication was called for, it hurts me to be saying this because generally I am against all culling.

Mick

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by devon.birder

Mink should not be in the wild anywhere in the UK, they are not a native British mammall.

Just as I suspected but I asked cos wonders never cease. I have always felt ALL mink should be eradicated as they cause such phenomenal devastation on Britain's wildlife.

[Joern Lehmhus]

OK, Mustela vison, the american Mink was never a british mammal but what about the closely related eurasian species Mustela lutreola (Nerz in german, i dont´t know the english name). It was occurring throughout kontinental europe but heavily hunted because of its fur, and manmade habitat changes also helped to get it on the brink of extinction in Europe. it was rare already in the 18th century. Behaviour , habitat and prey are much the same as for Mustela vison.
Therefore I think birds might get used to mink predation and learn to avoid it? (If there is enough alternative breeding habitat for the bird species in question-this may be the main problem)
But I´d also like to know if Mustela lutreola ever occured on the british isles?

[scillybirder@ho]

A mink project is underway. Details can be found at:

http://www.snh.org.uk/scottish/wisles/mink/intro.htm

[alan_rymer]

Originally Posted by Joern Lehmhus

But I´d also like to know if Mustela lutreola ever occured on the british isles?

Joern
Mustela lutreola certainly not native to the U.K. at this time, and I have not read that it ever was. But there is no reason to believe it has never been a resident at some time in the past few thousand years .

[Joern Lehmhus]

Thanks Alan,
That´s interesting, I would have guessed it occurred also in Britain. In ermany the last Mustela lutreola were seen in the 30ies I believe, but I will check it.

By the way, What´s the english name?

[alan_rymer]

Originally Posted by Joern Lehmhus

Thanks Alan,
That´s interesting, I would have guessed it occurred also in Britain. In ermany the last Mustela lutreola were seen in the 30ies I believe, but I will check it.

By the way, What´s the english name?

Had to look it up on google, its seems to be called European Mink!, which is definitely not native to the UK.

[jurek]

I would also be for the eradication of mink.

European Mink (Mustela lutreola) is now highly endangered due to competition and plain killing by introduced American Minks, is more an animal of forest water bodies and feeds more on frogs. It is less threat to waterbirds than (American) Mink.

[Joern Lehmhus]

Thanks Alan
Here is a map on the former and current distribution of European Mink-this species is one of the few mammals native only to Europe. This is really alarming and I fear it is probably impossible to get rid of American Mink again in Europe

forgot to translate: früher = former distribution, heute = today

[jurek]

I heard that they are releasing European Mink in Estonia on isolated Baltic islands, where American Mink was exterminated. Sad to hear about a native European animal protected in a way like some flightless birds from New Zealand. :(

[Jane Turner]

Sign me up for a mink erradication programme... as long as the act of removing them doesn't cause more damage than they do in the first place. The bifgproblem with mink is they are so hard to see.

The real dilemna is of course what to do with hedgehogs which are native.

Since terns can fly and mink can't I wonder if three is any way the breeding islands could be protected with a mink-proof barrier. It would require some inventive engineering - but maybe sheer polished metal... or anti vandal paint or something similar might work... might work for Hedgehogs too!

[alan_rymer]

Originally Posted by Joern Lehmhus

Thanks Alan
Here is a map on the former and current distribution of European Mink-this species is one of the few mammals native only to Europe. This is really alarming and I fear it is probably impossible to get rid of American Mink again in Europe

forgot to translate: früher = former distribution, heute = today

Joern

Interesting. Thanks, had not realised that there was a European Mink before your post!.

It may be impossible to eradicate american Mink from the U.K. but unless we try, we don't know. The local fishing club lay cage traps for them and do catch and despatch them. But often misguided passers by hear them in the traps and release them!.
Its the same with Himalyan Balsam, my local conservation group pulls it annually at my local lake ( Lavells in Dinton Pastures ) and we are getting on top of it, each year there is less, but the seeds come down the river in the floods and redistribute them, I feel we could eradicate it within 10 years if everyone pulled it out wherever it is seen!.
sigh, rant over!.

[saluki]

Originally Posted by Jane Turner

Sign me up for a mink erradication programme... as long as the act of removing them doesn't cause more damage than they do in the first place. The bifgproblem with mink is they are so hard to see.

The real dilemna is of course what to do with hedgehogs which are native.

Since terns can fly and mink can't I wonder if three is any way the breeding islands could be protected with a mink-proof barrier. It would require some inventive engineering - but maybe sheer polished metal... or anti vandal paint or something similar might work... might work for Hedgehogs too!

One doesn't have to see mink to control them - mink are normally controlled by cage trapping, which causes very little disturbance and work 24-7.

Hedgehogs aren't native to the islands where they are causing problems so, for me, there is no dilemma.

Mink can swim almost as good as otters and climb with surprising agility, so a mink-proof barrier would be very difficult to construct. Besides, to attempt to protect all tern breeding islands (let's forget about all the other birds that suffer predation from mink) would be incredibly expensive and would be far, far more damaging and intrusive than any control methods.

BTW I used to occasionally work for a lobster fisherman on the west coast of Scotland. If he placed his pots too near the surface it was not unknown for him to catch mink (and, more distressingly, otters). Lobster pots on dry land can be deadly for birds too, especially Dunnocks, who seem to find them irresistable.

saluki

[Jane Turner]

That's good news then...

still can't help thinking that predator proof fences..that would also keep people out are worth considering.. might be easier to have mink/hedgehog free critical areas than whole islands/countries! Might work out cheaper too!

[saluki]

Originally Posted by Jane Turner

That's good news then...

still can't help thinking that predator proof fences..that would also keep people out are worth considering.. might be easier to have mink/hedgehog free critical areas than whole islands/countries! Might work out cheaper too!

On a small scale, electric fencing can prove effective in detering predators (though not, unfortunately, people), but it would be impractical on many small islets as it would also deter seals and otters (though, in the latter case, that may not be a bad thing I suppose, otters being equally adept at eating birds eggs as mink!) and any birds such as Eiders that swam, rather than flew, to their nests. Several years ago in Argyll a scheme was much publicised in the local papers, encouraging anyone with a stream runnning through their property to purchase a cheap catch-alive mink trap from the local council - mink usually travel along streams and rivers. I think it would have worked too if everyone had taken part but, unfortunately, some landowners don't care too much about schemes such as this that help wildlife as a whole. Strangely though, it is usually such landowners that call for the erradication of all foxes in the distcrict the moment one of their lambs goes missing. It's all about pounds and shillings to some folk . . .

saluki