Was on the lottie this morning and disturbed a beautiful little creature brown in colour with a white chest about a foot long with a long tail. Any ideas as to what it was . It appeared to be quite tame as well and not frightened by me.
Regards
Chris
I would have thought weasel or stoat would be just about the best guess (yes amended post now I have read the title) :-[ If it is very tame then if could be a ferret.
No Not a ferrett too small. I have now looked up the BBC wildlife site and apparently they are very difficult to tell apart. A weasel has a black tip to the tail and becomes an ermine and turns white in the winter. As i didnt see the end of its tail I'll never know until i see it again.
Thanks
Chris
Hi Chris
I've had both a weasel and stoat pop into my garden from the fields over the back garden wall. Once you know the dimensions, they're quite easy to tell apart.
The weasel is approx 7 inches long ( head and body ), like a long skinny mouse, and can squeeze through approx 1 inch diameter hole in blue tit nest box!!
The stoat is approx 10-12 inches long ( head and body ).
Polecats, minks and ferrets are all approx 16-18 inches long ( head and body )
So, reckon it was a stoat you saw!
Hope this helps for future sightings :)
The other clue is if it was in an urban area then it is probably a stoat as weasels rarely come into towns.
The lotty secretary get 'weasels' in his compost heap. I would be interested to know too as we are not in the country. Squished b'tween the A2 and a railway embankment/rugby field. I wanna weasel.
Now Baggy, is it a weasel or a stoat you want? My self personally would prefer a weasel.
Weasel:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/WEASEL.JPG/200px-WEASEL.JPG)
Stoat (in winter clobber):
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Mustela_erminea.jpg/200px-Mustela_erminea.jpg)
I once nearly caused a mass pileup on the Sleaford bypass when towing a trailer when a family of weasels crossed the road in front of me. You will be pleased to know that they managed to cross the road unhurt. The entire clanger clan had mild whiplash though ;D
Don't care - they're both cuties. I know one kills bunnies (they are cute too but I don't get those in this neck of the woods) coz I watched Bloddie,but I can forgive them that.
Where do they live? Do they burrow?
Suddenly I have had a flower trough burrowed into. I had only just planted it up with bulbs too!!
The hole down to the bottom of the trough is approx 3 1/2 " across and 10" deep.
The earth moving thats going on is amazing! Raised the soil level out of the trough!! Not interested in the bulbs they are lying on top of the pile!! Leaves lying about too.
It's a bit cold to just go outside and sit to watch who might be my new lodger!!
We're dead posh round 'ere. We've got mink eating the hen's eggs in our allotments...
It sounds like a stoat with the size..But am surprised at it seeming tame.They are usually very wary of humans and very viscious .If it it had a very pointed snout it was a stoat if it had a roundish sort of tip to its snout it prob was a young pole cat ferret .The females(Jill's) can also be very small in polecat ferrets...But brown with a white belly definitely sounds like a stoat... TM would be wanting shut of the mink they will decimate your chicken population in a night never mind pinching an egg or two cheers jim
Mink are a real pest but fortunately otters eat them. As the otters come back the mink are declining.
Oooooh otters. Now what I'd really likeis an otter. Don't think my lotty is otters suitable though.
I like otters too Baggy and I have(n't) got a pond. Do you think I might be able to persuade one to come and live on my plot?
Yes RC. We all need a lotty otty. He could have a quick dip in the rain but ?
I came across this old thread while doing a search, and cannot resist saying, surely you know how to distinguish a stoat from a weasel?
A weasel is weasely recognisable, but a stoat is stoatily different.
Sorry! :-X