I may not take the best wildlife photographs but I like to feel that the snaps I take reflect how things are for the average enthusiastic nature watcher! This is a picture of a stoat (Mustela erminea); yes, really! It is the best I have been able to come with in some forty or so years of trying and that is because this is about as good a view of a stoat as I have ever had.
Actually, although not exactly rare, one rarely sees a stoat down here in Dorset. They are alert, active little creatures that always seem to be on the move, going somewhere, doing something. They are nervous and shun the possibility of human confrontation but are extremely aggressive towards rabbits and catching them for lunch. Despite this, they are endearing creatures with plenty of character. They often live in and around stone walls where there are plenty of hole to retreat to in an emergency.
Some people wonder what the difference is between a stoat and a weasel. I was told the answer to that some years ago; a weasel is weasely identified whereas a stoat is stoatally different.
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