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Dave

David Winnard wrote:

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Have not seen these sightings on the wildlife forum Bill


Dave

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Fair comment Dave. I really should have thought to look on the Wildlife Forum to see that there is already a thread on this topic related to sightings on there.

Don't know if I have missed something.....but why is that you need to register to use the Wildlife Forum in addition to having already registered to use the birding forum?

Bill.

"I personally, in the last 18 months, have seen Mink in the Rochdale Canal at Higher Boarshaw and alongside the River Irwell at Clifton Country Park".......

Have not seen these sightings on the wildlife forum Bill

Its not just birds these critters are problems for, Water Voles suffer very easily when Mink are present. I know a few sites in Rochdale where rangers trap and kill mink. From the Wildlife Forum sightings its clear there everywhere - i had one at Greenfield Res earlier in the year and have seen a few in Rochdale.

However it seems that over the next few years we could get Otter back in GM Waters, there are field signs of some already in county. When Otter have re-colonsied an area it has been noted elsewhere in the country that Mink numbers go down.

It would be interesting to see how the numbers incline/decline over the coming years.

Dave

Don't know if this is the appropriate place for a thread of this sort......but here goes.

Being a bit of a gas-bag I like to chat to people when I am out and about and bird watching. Not only does it make the day even more enjoyable but you can also learn a terrific amount from people with other interests. This morning (15/11), whilst seeing what birds were present at two GM fisheries and chatting to the local fishermen/bailiffs my already considerable concerns over this non-native introduced/escaped predator Mink were made considerably worse. One of these sites I visited on several occasions in the summer of 2009 and I was a little surprised to find some excellent water bird habitat at this fishery but no sign of any Coots whatsoever....breeding or otherwise. Chatting with the bailiff this morning and thanking him for maintaining such attractive habitat at this fishery - some fisheries can be really unattractive and barren - I was astonished to learn of the scale of the Mink problem at these particular waters. From the numbers of Mink that he told me that had been trapped and killed it is not a surprise to learn that many species of water bird are struggling or even non existent at these sites. Just as a contrast - another site I visited not too far away last summer, with seemingly similar habitat had at least 7 pairs of breeding Coots and at least 2 pairs of breeding Moorhens. On recent visits to this other water I have counted numbers reflecting an excellent breeding season - presumably without the problems of Mink predation? I personally, in the last 18 months, have seen Mink in the Rochdale Canal at Higher Boarshaw and alongside the River Irwell at Clifton Country Park. I have been told that Mink have been seen on Ogden Reservoir at Piethorne and I understand that they are a considerable problem at nearby Hollingworth Lake.

I thought this thread might be a good idea to bring together all evidence of this species - actual or anecdotal - so that we can maybe get an idea of the real scale of the problem and to see if there is anything that can be done to sort it.


Bill.


-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Sunday 15th of November 2009 05:35:47 PM