Swimming Mink

Gallery: WildlifePosted March 22, 20171,466 views5 comments

I had some nice luck with mustelids during my Great Bear Rainforest tours last year. There were a lot of mink sightings, but photos were hard to come by. This small, fast member of the weasel family is often seen scampering along the shoreline scavenging for crabs and other marine life, but it won't hesitate to disappear into the forest before you can train your lens on it. In this case, however, we had a mink on shore as we floated by in our Zodiac, and instead of running away, it actually hopped in the water and swam right in front of the boat. It was nice to get a close, albeit brief, photo op with this vivacious predator.

Canon 1DX
Canon 600mm f/4 IS + 1.4x
ISO 800
1/1250th
f/5.6
Hand-held

Max

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on March 22, 2017 at 1:11 PM

That is very cool! I haven't seen a mink before (other than in photos), but hope to photograph one someday. I like this one, especially the larger version.

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on March 23, 2017 at 3:37 AM

Max,
Remarkable capture devil

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 24, 2017 at 8:41 PM

Congrats on the sighting Max, I would have preferred to see more of the animal in the frame, as is maybe cropping more closely would work well. devil

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Hisham Atallah on March 25, 2017 at 11:17 AM

Hi Max,
I like the interplay of blue and green in the water but I agree with Nate about having more of the animal in the frame.

Cheers,

Hisham.

Registered on November 5, 2014, 121 Posts, 352 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on March 25, 2017 at 5:02 PM

Hi Max,

Yep, these guys are pretty common on the shoreline in the Great Bear (as you describe). But always challenging to capture...and that's alot of lens to be hand-holding close to the water. So well done. I do agree with the others re: having a bit more of the mink in the frame (and perhaps a little water to the left of it), but I appreciate the challenges of the situation and commend you!

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments