I saw my first Stoat

[TORTUGA]

Yesterday afternoon whilst picking up my Daughter from kids club on Failand (North Somerset), I am stood waiting for them to come back from a bug catching walk in the woods, as I stand watching a thunder storm come in, there 20ft in front of me, is a Stoat. What a beauty, it came from some outbuildings, walked accross some grass and then briefly sniffed about before crossing the gravel road and dissapearing into a meadow. I tried to get a picture with my camera phone, however by the time I had quitely got the thing out and turned it on, Stoaty was gone. I was very close and amazed by the how beautiful a Stoat is, all red with a white bib, fantastic to get so close

[djackso]

Congratulations - and lucky you - I don't think I've EVER seen one

[Rob_D]

Great for you to see one so close. I really like them - they move so quickly, unpredictably and always seem full of energy.

My last one, early this year, was carrying a huge rabbit across the road as I cycled up to it. It didn't leave the rabbit, but hauled it back into the hedge.

[vole-woman]

Fantastic. I'm so jealous!

[deer boy]

Brilliant i saw one yesterday as i drove around a corner,there so comical

[Devonmaid]

Do you know how to tell the difference between a stoat and a weasel? Well, a weasel's weasily recognised but a stoat's stoatally different - boom boom!

(Sorry, couldn't resist it)

I once watched a weasel moving her kits from from a nest in an old barn to a new nest and she patiently carried them one at a time from the barn, across the bottom of my garden, over a field and off into the distance - marvellous sight. Another time my cat bought a young weasel in from the fields. It was unconscious but didn't appear to haveany obvious injuries so I put it in a large biscuit tin lined with straw and waited to see what happened. After a while I heard it scuffling around so I took the tin outside (and made sure the cat was locked in the kitchen - naughty cat!) and gently tipped it to one side. The little weasel strolled out then turned round, reared up and started 'swearing' at me really aggresively! Feisty little creature - guess which one of us retreated ...

[Words]

Beautiful creatures, but very elusive. I've had one decent sighting a few weeks ago (see photo), and then again this weekend I saw one dealing with a rabbit in thick undergrowth. Always an absolute thrill to see one

[deer boy]

Thats a cracking shot there Words how far away was it from u

[Words]

Not far, maybe 20 feet. I was photographing dragonflies over a local pond so I was down low when it popped its head out. I got about four frames in a burst before it was gone.