[GazM]

Pretty sure they're called American Mink, so think they're invasive everywhere else!

Edit: ignore that, google tells me there is a European Mink, but they're critically endangered and limited to restricted populations in southern and Eastern Europe.

[andy popp]

It's an American Mink (European mink have never been recorded here), an escapee from farming. Until Covid Denmark had the world's largest mink farming industry. Then they all got Covid and were destroyed - the industry was just eradicated. It nearly brought down the government because of the way it was handled.

Other weird industries where Denmark leads the world: sperm banks.

[SA Chris]

I remember the whole mink / COVID affair. So strange to look back on.

[chriss]

Having done a bit of volunteering for the RSPB sadly the only good American mink is a dead one. I say this a a veggie & tree hugger.

[webbo]

I listened to a programme on radio 4 where the Danish Mink farmers were claiming that what they were doing in farming mink was environmentally friendly as mink fur was bio degradable. As the alternative I.e. fake fur which is plastic is not.
I leave you to make your own opinion.

[Falling Down]

I’ve been swimming in the ponds at Hampstead Heath quite a bit (yeah I know I’m a walking, talking London cliche) and took out an annual membership with the brave intention of swimming through the winter regularly. 

So I went to the bigger Men’s pond for the first time on Wednesday evening and saw two kingfishers.  One right up close. It flew by right in front of my face at water level and landed on a branch about 6ft away so I was able to stop and drift toward it, about a meter away and it just looked at me, all glittering blue and orange for about half a minute before streaking off in a blue flash to the other side. Incredible experience to be so close at eye level. I got goosebumps. Magic.

[chriss]

I listened to a programme on radio 4 where the Danish Mink farmers were claiming that what they were doing in farming mink was environmentally friendly as mink fur was bio degradable. As the alternative I.e. fake fur which is plastic is not.
I leave you to make your own opinion.

My opinion is that farming for fashion is cruel and unnecessary. I wonder what they do with the rest of the carcass?

[cheque]

A badger in the garden (S10) just now!

[stone]

It's an American Mink (European mink have never been recorded here), an escapee from farming. Until Covid Denmark had the world's largest mink farming industry. Then they all got Covid and were destroyed - the industry was just eradicated. It nearly brought down the government because of the way it was handled.

Mink farms are very dangerous as a breading ground for new variant viruses that can easily hop back and forth between them and humans. Mink haven't evolved to live crammed together in close quarters. They seem to match humans for virus compatibility.
We don't seem to shed any tears about shutting down Chinese wet markets so why is there sympathy for Mink farming? I guess it is important to help workers and farm owners in the transition to other jobs etc though.

Sorry for wandering off topic.

[tlr]

A badger in the garden (S10) just now!

We’ve had badgers coming to our garden in S17 for years - if you want to encourage them then just chuck out a handful of bird peanuts each evening. But be warned, if they take a liking to grubs under your lawn then they can quickly rip it to pieces. We’ve been lucky, but for some folk they are a big problem.

[andy popp]

Spotted in the Guardian's weekly round-up of wildlife photography. Look carefully.

[chriss]

Nice photo. Was he sent up to pre place the draws?

[andy moles]

Witnessed several hundred Griffon vultures in flight at the same time a few days ago, just north of El Chorro.

I think they gather there every year en masse as part of their migration to the Balkans, but not expecting to see them it was an incredible sight.

[tlr]

Between 6 and 10 waxwings around Manchester Road in Crosspool at the moment for Sheffield folk. I saw them late yesterday, but the light went to crap soon after arriving. They were pretty mobile so if they aren't immediately obvious it's worth hanging around (mainly around no. 675 area).

Seem to be quite a few around already this year.

R_3_7403 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

R_3_7473 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

R_3_7495-2 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

R_3_7508 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

[CrimpyMcCrimpface]

Wow! Wonderful pictures. Been desperate to see a Waxwing for years. Thanks for the tip.

[andy popp]

Urban herons acting - quite frankly - a little bit weird and creepy.

[SA Chris]

If there are a few about, there might be a heron dealer nearby.

They are usually elegant birds, but look quite sinister when hunkered down in the cold.

Not as sinister as Marabou Storks for example. You can see where Irvin Welsh got the book title from!

[andy popp]

I think herons are wonderful and it's always a pleasure to see one - there are lots in a large park a few hundred metres from where these pictures were taken. But there was something very inscrutable about them yesterday - completely still, silent, observing the busy comings and goings of the humans.

[mrjonathanr]

Saw a massive one sat in by  the river just up the road from the Cromlech Boulders last summer. It was dusk and no one else was there to see it.  Great creatures.

[stone]

A few years ago there was one at the Tor that wouldn't get out of the way when I tried to walk past carrying mats. I was concerned that it was unwell as I can't imagine it would normally be so bold with humans. Some people there said that it had spent all morning swallowing vast numbers of slugs. So it couldn't be blamed for feeling less than spritely!

[mrjonathanr]

Hardly surprising it felt sluggish, then.

[Fraser]

Spotted an otter at Dumby the other day, even looked like it had a fish in its mouth. Suprised/pleased that part of the Clyde is clean enough for them!

[chriss]

Went for a lovely walk near me in North Fambridge this afternoon, managed to see the Shorteared Owls, such cracking bird's.

[Fultonius]

Between 6 and 10 waxwings around Manchester Road in Crosspool at the moment for Sheffield folk.

We had about 200 in our tree. I missed it, but B had the Bino's out. Apparently they were en-route from Scandanavia to somewhere warmer (a rare sighting according to RSPB mate....

@Fraser that's interesting, might be enough to convince B to come to Dumby finally!

[tlr]

Up to 150+ wax wings around Hassop station (near Bakewell) at the moment giving superb views as they eat the berries and drink from puddles.

R_3_0432 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

R_3_0298 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

R_3_0205 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

R_3_0375 by Tim Russon, on Flickr

R_3_0237 by Tim Russon, on Flickr