Stoats and finding them

[richnfamous]

I'd like to study stoats a bit more. I've seen them from time to time but only fleetingly.

Has anybody got any tips about where & when to find them?

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by richnfamous

I'd like to study stoats a bit more. I've seen them from time to time but only fleetingly.

Has anybody got any tips about where & when to find them?

Like our other native mustelids, stoats are largely crepuscular ... that is they are mostly active during the twilight hours around dawn and again just after dusk.

Most of the rest of the time, during most of the year ... if their stomachs are full ... they will be happily asleep.

They commonly prey on voles, mice and rabbits, so the location that favours stoats best would be the same as favours those mammals too ... open grassy fields covering a light, sandy soil, bordered by dry-stone walling and adjacent to woodland.

Once you've found such a suitable setting, look out for evidence of stoats ... they mark out their territories by leaving scat in prominent places for other stoats to find ... on top of low walls, on prominent boulders, grassy knolls, tree stumps, etc.

Then you just need to be there at the right time of day ... and be patient.

[richnfamous]

Originally Posted by valleyforge

They commonly prey on voles, mice and rabbits, so the location that favours stoats best would be the same as favours those mammals too ... open grassy fields covering a light, sandy soil, bordered by dry-stone walling and adjacent to woodland.

Thanks for the tips.

I've found a few promising places, but both are close to badger setts. Would that make a difference?

[valleyforge]

Stoats and badgers will coexist in the same territory as they don't compete in any way for food or other resources. Stoats will however tend to give badgers a wide berth, though there tends not to be much in the way of aggression between the species, except perhaps in defense of kits.

Around badger setts of course, you need to be careful not to cause disturbance, so for that reason only, those locations might not be ideally suited to your intended stoat watching activities.

[Marcia]

On April this year I was fortunate to see a stoat for the first time in my life (correct me if it's not a stoat, please). The location was exactly how ValleyForge described: open grass field with dry-stone walling near a woodland.



I saw this stoat on broad daylight, is it a bad sign?

Good luck richnfamous.

Marcia.

[valleyforge]

It's a little hard to tell from your photo if that's a stoat or a weasel, Marcia ... most of the distinguishing features are unfortunately obscured.

In the Stoat (in mainland Britain at least) the median line between the dark fur of the back and the whiteish underbelly is quite straight and well defined ... whereas in the weasel the margin is much more irregular/spotted.

The weasel also sports two prominent gular spots ... circles of dark fur ... within the white fur either side on the underside of their chins.

The stoat though is easily recognised by having a dark brown/black tip to the tail.

Markings vary from animal to animal of course, and can be used to indentify invididuals, although changes will occur throughout the year depending on state of moult.

Unless you have further photos Marcia, or can remember further details, I'm not absolutely sure enough to confirm this is a stoat (though I think it probably is).

It's not unusual to see stoats & weasels out during the daytime ... and it's not a sign of any distress as it would be in a hedgehog for instance.

Mustelids have short digestive tracts and high metabolic rates ... so throughout the day (every two hours or so) they will briefly (& often sleepily) emerge from their dens to evacuate their bowels and bladders ... they use latrines, usually in a corner or against a vertical surface.

If twilight hunting wasn't successful, or if they are hunting to feed a hungry brood of kits, then they will often hunt during the day too.

[Marcia]

Thanks for the info, VF!
I've got another pic where we can see a bit more of his big belly:



The division of dark/white fur looks quite defined, but I agree it's difficult to tell. I can't remember the colour of his tail. I was SO far away from it and only had a digicam with me (typical, when I carry an SLR nothing ever show up ). Those are the only pics I could take (zoomed x1billion). It was a brief moment but very special too.

I hope you can find and take some nice pictures of your stoats, Richnfamous, let us know!

Marcia

[valleyforge]

Yes, that's much more definitive ... stoat for sure. Thanks Marcia.

[thunder]

Originally Posted by valleyforge

The weasel also sports two prominent gular spots ... circles of dark fur ... within the white fur either side on the underside of their chins.

These gular spots are sometimes connected to the brown upper fur and not separate spots.

henrya

[cutecoot]

Originally Posted by Marcia

Great photo, Marcia

I think I saw several stoats during the day once while driving through an area of woodland in Sussex .. I thought at first they were squirrels, but there was something different about them, different shape body and not so bushy tailed. I can't be sure, but I think they were stoats. I keep driving through that same bit again hoping to see them, but no luck as yet

p.s. Aren't weasels quite small, much smaller than a stoat?I used to get them in my old garden .. first time I saw one I thought it was a mouse as it was that sort of size, but then saw its long, stretched out body and was a more reddish colour than a mouse.