At Odds with the Mink
Hiding in plain sight may not be as crazy as it sounds. I'd implemented all of my usual tactics to hide my presence to get closer to the hooded mergansers, but the mergansers seemed to know exactly where I was regardless of how sneaky or well hidden I was. Last year, when standing in shallow water, I'd noticed that the resident ducks, geese and the mink seemed to ignore me. So out I waded, being very careful not to get too close to the Canadian geese who were nesting on either side of me. They are very protective of their nests! After 30 minutes of sitting motionless on a fallen tree, boots dangling in the water, the wildlife around me started to accept me as something that was just there. A male European starling performed in song and display just above me. A male red-winged blackbird similarly took the time to sing as it searched for food around the edge of the water. Then the mink appeared out of nowhere, as it does, and that drew the attention of the hooded mergansers. The