Friday, January 28, 2011

White...

Like this but with less brown...
Some brief sightings of note this week.

Firstly, on Tuesday on my way home from work, as I approached Howick Hall, a movement across the road in the car headlights caught my attention. Two beady eyes glowed in the dark with a snaky movement quite unlike the expected Rat. As I got closer the two disjointed, moving 'cats eyes' turned out to be a Stoat. Very unusual in the dark, but made even more so by the fact that this was a nearly-ermine. White, all but its black tail tip and a fine buff dorsal stripe, it soon slinked off into the wood.

Less exciting but more anticipated the first Snowdrops of 2011 were in flower on our drive yesterday morning...its on the way...

2 comments:

Ipin said...

We had full ermine today at Bywell, no brown at all, just a tiny black tip to it's tail - scampering along the road!

Alan Gilbertson said...

Nice one.

I saw a pure ermine run in front of me just around the corner from your place last weekend. More surprising, given the winter we had, I saw a completely brown stoat this morning at Hawkhill on the road to Alnwick.

Can’t seem to get the buggers to pose for the camera though.