Three blue tits, a robin AND a wren. Most peculiar. Out the kitchen window. They don’t usually hang out in the trees behind the house (the food is at the front!) and certainly not in a group, so close to one another. They hopped along the branches, slowly, in the same general direction, seemingly with purpose. I had no idea what was going on but something definitely was.
They were chasing a Weasel! These very small garden birds were ganging up on it and driving it along the bank!
When I got out there with my camera, it didn’t take me long to find it. It popped its head out from in between the rocks. It was bold as brass. Kept moving from one hole to another. Sitting upright and looking at me. I was only about two meters away. It kept scurrying back to the rock where I had first seen it.
Second surprise; it didn’t seem to want to leave…
Finally I knew what it was up to as I saw it emerge from under that rock with a small dead rat! It then disappeared off along the bank in the direction where the birds had chased it from.
Not until I looked at the pictures I had taken did I realise that it must have stashed the rat under the rock when I first appeared as my very first picture has it sitting right next to said rat. Isn’t wildlife just great!!
PS the main difference between a Stoat and a Weasel is that the former has a longer tail with a dark tip. Whilst all the pictures showing its tail are extremely fuzzy some advice off twitter makes us think it was indeed a Weasel 🙂
walkingbuddies 