Whilst in Devon..

By TonyL

Ever seen a weasel before?

It's been amazing what we've been able to see looking out from the main window in our mobile home. The entire sparrow population of west Wales, all the tit types, dunnocks (who been very amorous recently), chaffinches, goldfinches, blackbirds, thrushes, nuthatches, GS woodpeckers and baby, jay, pigeon, sheep, lambs, dogs, cattle, rats, mice, squirrels.... let alone all the beautiful views of trees, fields, clouds, sky and the Dyfi estuary......... and now a weasel!
Incredibly small and incredibly fast. First spotted darting out from undergrowth over the grass and back again, repeatedly.
A little while later I noticed a nuthatch foraging for food in the gap between some paving slabs. He flew off and then I saw what initially looked like a large brown caterpillar worming its way along the gap, which is only about 3/4" wide. It wasn't until I saw a head appear that I realised it was the weasel! He had been crawling along on his side.
Weasels are killing machines. I just read an account of a man who witnessed a buzzard swoop down and grab a weasel in its talons and flew off with it. Shortly after the bird falters in flight and falls to the ground. On examination it's found that the now dead buzzard had its chest ripped open and the weasel's teeth embedded in the flesh.
So all in all a pretty boring view of life...

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