Once in a blue moon, someone on one of my birding or bug groups will post a fairly distant image of a stoat or weasel. Something they hadn’t expected to see, but were able to record in the few, brief seconds they were visible. I so wanted to join this exclusive club, but knew how unlikely it was going to be. Still… it has never stopped me from looking while I’ve been out with my camera and 150-600mm lens.
Then, I started visiting Sandwich Bay on a regular basis through the winter. A four-hour round trip, it wasn’t exactly close to home, but the drive was a pleasant one and it was the best place to spot owls in flight. During one such visit, I was set up in my favourite spot, keeping my eyes peeled over the fields, when a sudden movement caught my eye. It was about twenty feet away and had shot across the lane at lightning speed. Smaller than one of our ferrets, it was pale brown, with a short tail and no black hairs on the end. That meant it could only have been a weasel and I was chuffed to bits.
About half an hour later, a couple more photographers set up on the spot where the weasel had first appeared. I didn’t give it much thought, until there was a sudden commotion. The weasel had been seen, still on the far side of the road, but clearly making an effort to get back home. Luckily, I had my camera already mounted on my tripod, so, with shaking hands, I turned everything round and waited.
It wasn’t long until the weasel appeared again, before shooting across the tarmac. I managed to rattle off about three photographs, although this was the only one with good focus.
