American Mink near a creek bank – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/160, ISO 1250, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I was excited to have been able to take a decent image of an American Mink when I found this one in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday morning. I’d seen a mink in the same area on a trip into the Wasatch just a few days before but the light was so low and it disappeared so quickly that I wasn’t 100% sure on my ID but when it showed up again yesterday I had no doubt as to what the critter was.
My ISO was too low at first so I quickly changed it to 1250 to obtain a little more shutter speed but in hindsight I wish I had taken the time to change my aperture to 5.6 to gain a little more because most of the images I took of the mink running along the creek bank and swimming in the water were blurry. I’m happy enough with this low light photo though and I hope to see the mink again to try and get better photos of it.
I also have something else that I wanted to share after seeing it yesterday… I saw some frost on a roof of a house up in the mountains and little bit more along a creek. It won’t be long before the frost and cooler temps in the mountains start the leaves of trees changing to fall colors. I looked at some of the photos I had taken in the same area last year and by the end of the first week of September I was starting to see orange, yellow and red leaves on some of the trees.
I am truly looking forward to cooler weather and the birds that the cooler temps will bring.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my American Mink photos plus facts and information about this species.
What a sinuous beauty.
I hope your cooler weather arrives soon. And am dreading our change of seasons.
Great find! I have never seen one in the wild. I hope it will be a beautiful fall this year.
Adorable little gal! Looks like she just came up from a dip in the creek. Good to hear about the frost too — we still have another month of hot and sticky before it cools down.
You have captured a nice pose here. Look like they may be bigger than a weasel but the face is similar.Same family?
Fantastic shot, these guys are so tough, the light has to be just so and you have to be in the right spot at the right time. I’m not there yet, but still hopeful!