Polecat

[aprilrainbow]

I have just seen a polecat in my garden in cornwall. I now think she was the animal that dug out my underground bumblebee nest.

[Hedge Witch]

Oh, how FANTASTIC!

[Dogghound]

Do you have badgers around too? the bee's nest was more likely them than a polecat. Nice find.

[aprilrainbow]

Yes there are badgers and foxes and I am afraid rats. I don't think badgers because they cannot resist 'nosing' up the lawn for worms, so I am pretty sure they are not coming into the garden currently. There are foxes in the area, but I haven't seen one recently. I think the rats would not be strong enough to excavate so much earth and make such a big hole in my rockery. The Polecat was bold enough to come right on to my veranda in broad daylight.
I have barricaded the Bumble Bee nest as best I can and so far all seems to be well with them.

[Rob_D]

Hi April,

Are you sure it was not a Polecat-Ferret? The VWT surveys from 2004-2006 didn't show any Polecats in Cornwall (yet) or even in Devon, but there were a few Polecat-Ferrets. They're not easy to tell apart - the Polecat-Ferrets sometimes have lighter fur, but a few look identical to pure Polecats.

Anyway, interesting to see something like that in the garden - very jealous. If you can get a photo (I imagine that's very difficult), it would be well worth sending to the county mammal recorder. If it was a pure Polecat, that might be a very valuable record for Cornwall.

[volence]

It could even be an escaped pet, try to see if it's tame. One of our ferrets got out once, luckily we were well known in the area as having "weird" pets and someone found her and contacted us. They said she'd tried to beat up their rottie and after a few days of being home she had 13 kits

[Rob_D]

13 rottweiler ferret hybrids? They'd be pretty strange looking.....

[volence]

Lmao you know what I mean, cheeky although that would be interesting.....

[aprilrainbow]

Hi, thanks for the replies. I asked around and yes there have been rabbit catchers in our area that lost a pair of ferrets. I have looked at pictures and ofcourse I have seen ferrets myself, I don't think this animal was a ferret, but it could have been 'part' ferret. This animal had a long tail that was mostly bare, like a rat's, with a bushy tip. I have also discovered that there are probably a few in this area. How I wish I could have got my camera, but I had about 10 seconds before the polecat had dashed across the garden and disappeared.

[tcvarlh]

Originally Posted by Rob_D

13 rottweiler ferret hybrids? They'd be pretty strange looking.....

The very idea is giving me nightmares ! A lá Steven King !

[volence]

New idea for a story? Nah, I still have a couple that need doing, but it's an idea

[aprilrainbow]

I am feeling rather foolish, but after further research I am now wondering if what I saw was a Stoat. It is the tail with the black bushy tip and the fact that Stoats do burrow for prey underground (remember it was after the Bumble Bee's nest underground in my rockery), that strongly indicates a Stoat. Probably also that there are young kits about and Stoat kits mature in 11weeks. There are lots of mice and rats in my garden (which Stoats prey on) mostly because until quite recently we had several outdoor aviaries. I am sorry I have probably got it wrong

[captaincarot]

on the up side you will be in for lots of fun if they are stoats.
they're about as entertaining as things get when you get a few of em playing

[Rob_D]

Don't worry about making mistakes, we all do it. If it's any consolation I mistook a black squirrel for a polecat earlier in the year!

Anyway I'm still jealous of you seeing a stoat in the garden.