The critter in this post has beachfront property – as much as he wants.

Monty the Mink has his own wading pools which sometimes do double duty as dining areas.

He prefers to sit above the high tide line when he’s eating at his own High Tide Restaurant. He’s very tidy about his dishes, leaving them all in one place for the next tide to rinse. The seagulls sometimes help out with the leftovers.

So who is this rich guy who dines on seafood by the seaside? No, this building is not his restaurant, although he has the free run of the property. He’s a very small guy, smaller than many cats. See him in front of the log that has the “No Parking” sign on it? He is just about five feet from the left end of the log, a tiny fellow who can move very quickly, especially when he knows someone is trying to take his picture. He’d rather be blurry and incognito.

Thinking he’s safe, he sneaks up to the rock garden of the people’s restaurant (bottom left). I’m sorry he was feeling so shy and elusive today. He moved very fast and I had little chance of focusing. Maybe another day we will get a better picture of Monty Mink, a Pacific Northwest coast mink.

My weaselly cousin,

Prefers the dry land,

But I like variety,

Found near the sand.

 

Frogs, fish, and crayfish,

Or turtles, and clams,

As long as it’s meaty,

Hold back on the yams.

 

I’m tough for my size,

Taking on bigger meals,

A wandering rabbit,

Tastes good when it squeals.

 

I’m really not mean,

But I have to be tough,

A mink’s got to eat,

And it’s never enough.