Ask the Naturalist

If you have a question for the naturalist, e-mail us !

Mink Sighting!!!

Friday, February 27, 2009 at 1:40pm

Our very own Kay Carlson and Jessica Davis both spotted what they believe to be a native mink. Being the nature center has various aquatic habitats Doan Brook serves as a great place of residence for our small mammalian friends.

Here is a testimonial from Kay about her sighting.

"I think I have the best job in the world...how cool is it that I get visited nearly every day by our local wildlife at my office window? My window sits at ground level, so I often see birds, deer, squirrels and chipmunks rummaging through the leaves or climbing the trees nearby. But what a treat yesterday (a relatively warm February day) to see a blurr of black out of the corner of my eye and to turn and look out the window and be face to face with a mink! Once it saw me, it took off in a flash, and I wasn't sure what it was. But as it ran off into the woods, it did so with a distinct loping, wavelike movement unlike our local squirrels. So I gathered some of our Naturalists and a wildlife tracking guide and we went outside to see if we could identify its tracks in the snow. Our research confirmed the tracks – paws clumping close together with longer nails than squirrel tracks. Our Naturalists also told me that we have had a den of minks on our property but it was rare to actually see a mink. I feel like I have been blessed by this visitor who was once common to our area but is now rarely seen. Mink are partial to wet areas, so the Nature Center 's habitats of wet woods, marsh and stream are the perfect place to call home. Maybe you will be as lucky as me on your next visit to the Nature Center !"

Kay Carlson
Executive Director

3/20/08

Dear Nature Center ,
Every year around this time to early February, I notice large flocks of American robins about. Why is this? I have three hypotheses: 1. They never left and are just coincidentally found in groups together around food sources, 2. They are back from Mexico early, 3. They are still headed towards Mexico from areas well north of Cleveland.

I look forward to your expert information.

Thanks so much.

---mtp

Michele,
I checked in with Julie West, our bird expert. Here is her response to your questions regarding the robins:

The short answer is that we don't know for sure, but I suspect the answer is a combination of two out of the three possibilities presented. The robins are more noticeable because they are gathering around food sources. They may be robins who did not leave and/or those who bred further north and have stopped here on their migration south. If they are in the latter group, whether they stopped and stayed because they were able to find food or because their pattern is only to migrate to this general latitude, I don't know. But, once they have stopped here, as long as they are able to find food sources, there is no reason for them to go further south. I would not expect these to be early return migrants as the factors that drive northward migration are more related to length of day and hormonal changes, neither of which would be factors at this time of year.

Just as an aside, if there was more banding going on, and we caught banded birds in the winter, we would be able to get a better answer regarding where these birds have come from or if they are staying year round.

Julie

Thanks for checking in!

Mary Rouse
Education Director

10/25/07
On Tuesday night at about 10:00 p.m. I saw a little red fox close to the Nature Center . When my lights shone on the fox, it ran back into the woods. Was I correct in what I saw, or was I tired and hallucinating (ha, ha)?

Rose

Rose,
Thanks for your 'ask a naturalist' question. Yes, that probably was a red fox that you saw near the Nature Center . Even though we are in an urban area, the Shaker Lakes area provides habitats for many types of wildlife, including the red fox, coyote, mink, groundhog, skunk, raccoon, deer and many more. The red fox is typically nocturnal and solitary, so is rarely seen. Consider yourself lucky!

Happy hiking!

Mary Rouse
Education Director

7/24/07
Early this morning I think I saw a Black-crowned Night Heron on a branch in the Lower Lake . Have there been any other sightings of this bird? And are there coyotes in the area?

A Cleveland Heights Neighbor

Dear Neighbor,
Yes to both questions. We do see a number of different kinds of herons around the Shaker Lakes , including the Great Blue Heron, Green Heron and the Black-crowned Night Heron. We also know that we have coyotes all thru the area, but they are seldom seen as they are most often nocturnal and travel solo.

Hope this helps!

Mary Rouse
Education Director

7/9/07
Hi! I am interested in a career (home or abroad) as a naturalist. I am a college graduate with a major in biology. Could you recommend any websites, agencies or other contacts that could get me started in searching for job openings?

Rob

Rob,
Thanks for your question regarding a career as a naturalist. It is a very enjoyable and fulfilling way to spend your days!

First off, I would recommend contacting your closest nature center, park or wildlife refuge and look into volunteer opportunities. This not only gives you a chance to see if this is a good fit for you, but it is the 'foot in the door' that is often necessary to secure a paying position.

There are several professional organizations that I would recommend to you:

Good luck!

Mary Rouse Martin
Education Director

7/6/07
We are fairly new members of the Nature Center and we enjoy walking (or jogging) around the beautiful lakes. With a big surprise we saw yesterday a huge turtle from the car bridge between the big lake and the marsh area. She was probably 2 feet wide and may be even 3 feet long with a big tail. We have seen an animal like this only in zoos and we could not believe our eyes. She actually was looking at us and poked her head out of the water a couple of times. We are wondering how many of these huge turtles are around in the lakes area, are they normally seen in that spot and are they native species?

Hendrik and Isabel Noth

Dear Hendrik and Isabel-
Thank you for your question about the turtle that you saw near the Nature Center . The turtle that you spotted was a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). It is a native species of turtle in Ohio and its range includes a large area of eastern and central North America from southern Canada down to Florida . It can inhabit a wide variety of aquatic habitats and eats fish, insects, plants, small mammals, mollusks, snakes, and small birds. There are lots of adult turtles in the lake and marsh. In the early summer the females come ashore to lay eggs, and the "baby" turtles hatch in the fall. Thanks again!

Lara Roketenetz
Natural Resources Specialist

6/18/07
Our Geauga County garden is being invaded and ravaged by hungry woodchucks. We have deer fence around the garden and they are getting in through a gap by the gate or beneath the fence. Do you have any suggestions for specific plants that might repel woodchucks that we could plant to create a border around the fence to deter future generations from entering? Any ideas on how to get them to go somewhere else more immediately?

Martha Schubert

Hi Martha-

Thanks for your question! Woodchucks (Marmota monax) also known as groundhogs or whistle pigs, are voracious vegetarians. Click here for an article from the Ohio State Extension office with suggestions on control measures, and visit this page at the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Control for a list of possibly resistant vegetation (scroll to the middle of the page). Good luck!

Lara Roketenetz
Natural Resources Specialist

5/5/07
I was wondering about some beautiful white flowers I saw as I walked from the Nature Center down North Park . Just before I came to the bridge and Coventry there were some small white flowers on the side near the lake. Can you tell me what they are called and if they are invasive?

Ruth Mardell

Hi Ruth,
Thanks for your question. I went to the location you indicated in the email to look at the plants you were wondering about. After consulting with a volunteer who is a "plant expert" (thanks Dave Bell!), we determined that the flowers were either English Daisy (Bellis perennis – an introduced plant and member of the aster family) or a member of the Bittercress group (part of the mustard family; some are native), depending on which small white flower you were referring to.

Thanks again!

Lara Roketenetz
Natural Resources Specialist

4/12/07
Can you help me identify a bird I saw by Lower Lake ? The bird was mostly mottled brown, lighter or maybe white or tan on its underbelly. It was larger than a robin, with a thin straight black beak. Its real distinguishing marks were a small but prominent black bib on chest, including a black ring around 3/4 of its neck, and then a bunch of reddish orange feathers looking like a red spot on the back of its neck and base of its head. I could not see its feet due to the snow and my vantage point, and only saw wingspan for a brief couple seconds. Its underwings looked almost yellow or translucent. Thank you for any info you can share.

Mary Boyle