Nature on the way to school

Every morning, on the way to school, the children have to cross over the River Congost. We usually see a few ducks and, sometimes, a heron. This morning, however, we were in for a far more exciting treat as we saw a lithe mammal hopping along through the shallow water and over the rocks. My son called out "It's an otter!" but otters are not known to be on this part of the river and this animal was not as large as an otter. It had dark fur and I'm pretty sure it was an American mink (Neovison vison). We watched it enter the water and swim away, disappearing under the canes by the water's edge. What an exciting way to start the day!