Mustelid scat ID please

[vole-woman]

Found this under the bridge in the local wildlife reserve where I normally find otter spraint. My first thought is mink, but it seems small for mink. Stoat? Any thoughts?

[vole-woman]

More from tonight:

[Dogghound]

Its a stoat or a weasel scat.

[vole-woman]

That's good news. I would be so happy if it wasn't mink! Do stoats tend to mark underneath bridges?

[Mark_b]

It could be mink. The third one is quite large. Makes more sense with it being near water

[vole-woman]

Thanks.

[vole-woman]

New pic for Dogghound or anyone else who thinks they might know. I'd really appreciate your thoughts because if it is mink, it's a bit of a crisis.

[blackb1rd]

I'd suggest all those droppings are far too large for weasel.

They "could" be stoat but the size again is a bit big and the location would absolutely point towards mink who will spraint in similar spots to otters (waterside ledges, tree trunks, under bridges, exposed rocks etc).

I've seen a lot of signs of mink in our area and I'd definitely be inclined to say those were mink scats. I could however be wrong.

[davecatt]

Have you seen any Otter spraint lately? If another mustelid is marking a site that was previously marked by otter then either the Otter has moved on and Mink moved in,or its just a stoat.

If the Otter has'n't been around lately try floating a bit of raw meat or fish on a make-shift raft,tethered so its out of reach of the bank under the bridge. set it at dusk and check at first light. Or you could try a cage trap.

If it is a mink then it'll be a new arrival looking to set up territory. Now would be a good time to get rid of it.

[vole-woman]

There is still otter spraint around, but I was speaking to a guy last year who tracks mink and he said they very often share a territory with otters; they just try and keep out of the otters' way.

Thanks for your thoughts.