Mustelid Musing

I’m eagerly anticipating a fresh harvest of wildlife photographs from Rosslyn’s wildlife cameras. Our ever vigilant wildlife steward, John Davis, will be exploring our backlands to monitor rewilding efforts and collect images recorded in recent months. My mind turns to Mustelids (Mustelidae), especially Ermine, Marten, and Weasel. These three remain elusive, though I know that we have managed to photograph Ermine. I just haven’t located the images. Yet.

Back to Ermine in a moment…

What Are Mustelids?

Adept tree climbers, swift swimmers, and industrious diggers, the mustelids’ agility is but one of their distinguishing characteristics. They are notorious for being aggressive and tenacious, undeterred by prey considerably larger than themselves. And mustelids complement their ferocity with the ability to express potent smelling secretions from their anal scent glands if threatened, when marking their territory, and when mating.

The Adirondack Coast (including Split Rock Wildway and Rosslyn’s wildlife sanctuary) provides healthy habitat for Ermine (aka Stoat), Fisher, Mink, Marten, River Otter, and Long-tailed Weasel. The presence of mustelids in our immediate environment ensure well balanced predator-prey dynamics and reveal healthy woodland and waterway ecosystems. (Source: Mustelids)

Prior Mustelid Sightings

A year or two ago we recorded photographs (possibly even video?) of an Ermine on one of our trails near Library Brook. But the elusive likenesses are as mysterious as their subject. They’ve [hopefully temporarily] disappeared. My search continues, but there’s another pair of peculiar Ermine enigmas braided together with this one.

Some years ago Susan and I spied a black and white furred Ermine nabbing a late night snack from a bird feeder handing beneath the Gingko tree. We were returning from a dinner party and it was dark. As we pulled alongside, she stopped and we looked out the window. We were only 10-15 feet away. Spectacular viewing. But apparently discomfiting to the Ermine who disappeared into the branches above. No photograph.

In November 2022 Tony managed to record a short video of an Ermine playing around in a stone wall he was re-stacking at ADK Oasis Highlawn. This afternoon I asked him if he happened to have taken a photograph as well. Unfortunately no.

And so my mustelid musing is conjuring images and/or video or an Ermine. And a Marten. And a Weasel. That’s a big ask. Three big asks, but I believe in the power of positive thinking!

Now, on to the three Mustelids that we’ve successfully recorded.

Let’s start with the Mink. I’ve recorded a mink video on Rosslyn’s waterfront, and I’ve witnessed them many other times including a screechy session with two Minks fighting over a dead lamprey real! I’ll come across that clutch of curious videos some day. But for some reason I’m not finding any photos. I have them, and I’ll circle back and add one to this post. Here’s a clip from the video post.

This was an American Mink (Neovison vison), a semiaquatic carnivore which is inclined to dine on fish, frogs and crustaceans like crayfish. (Source: American Mink)

The following photograph (one of three) of a Fisher was captured one year ago today on April 10, 2023.

Here’s an excerpt from my Fisher post.

This evening we’ll let the photos do the talking. Enjoy this healthy Fisher (Pekania pennanti) documented recently with one of Rosslyn’s wildlife cams… these native neighbors enjoy dining on wild hares and they’re one of the few predators in our forests who successfully hunt and eat porcupines. (Source: Fisher)

After many years of hoping and waiting, we finally capture a series of three photographs of a North American River Otter on my birthday last year. Thrilling!

Here’s an excerpt from the River Otter post.

The North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) is apparently a common resident of these environs, but they’re elusive. I’ve come across their tracks and slides in the snow on frozen streams, rivers, and ponds, but I’ve never been fortunate enough to witness one firsthand. Nor have we captured photos on our cameras until now, so these less-than-perfect images hold special value. And they serve as encouraging evidence that Rosslyn’s wildlife sanctuary is thriving. (Source: River Otter)

With these prior Rosslyn Mustelid sightings underpinning my optimism, I am willing Ermine, Marten, and Weasel. Stay tuned! Until them perhaps a piece of micropoetry to prime the proverbial pump?

Mustelid Musing Haiku

So stealthy, so fierce,
so tenacious, oh so lithe,
nimble nocturnal.