When I noticed something bright in my peripheral field of vision and my eyes afterward focused on this sleek creature, I felt slightly disoriented. The animal seemed out of its element, at least in my mind. It was October 2020 and I was birding along a paved path in a well-developed suburban subdivision. A weasel was not what I expected here.
Back at home I confirmed that I had indeed seen a Long-tailed Weasel. A member of the mustelid family (Mustelidae), which also includes badgers, wolverines, and skunks, it is considered the most widespread carnivore in the Western Hemisphere (according to our 1997 National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals). Considering this fact it’s remarkable that I only recall a handful of weasel encounters in my life, all of which happened in natural, undeveloped areas—until this one broke the mold.
This individual was sunning itself in someone’s back yard and it soon became evident that it had tunneled underneath the stone steps, where it disappeared for periods of time. I did not see a water source in the yard but not far from the property was a little pond, which likely proved attractive to this water-loving critter. Long-tailed Weasels (Mustela frenata) used to be considered strictly nocturnal but are now known to be active in daylight as well, because voles, among their favorite prey, are diurnal.
This rather tame-appearing representative of its kind was nearly done with its seasonal wardrobe makeover, having exchanged almost all the handsome yellow and brown summer attire for a white winter coat, except for the face and back, which probably turned white soon thereafter. The dark tip of the tail, on the other hand, remains black always.
I had enjoyed one previous weaselly meeting in southern Colorado in April 2016 during which the subject posed long enough for me to take a few photos. The image I have added for comparison shows the warm earth tones of the fur. I wonder if this weasel kept the same coat year-round, as the white camouflage color only makes sense in areas that receive significant amounts of snow.
If you have observed and/or photographed weasels in the wild, I would love to hear about your experiences.
Fantastic views! How nice!
I have once published some shots of the Least weasel: please search my post “Biancaneve” if you like to see it.
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Thank you.
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The weasel is a “now you see me, no you don’t” kind of critter. None of my sightings over the years has lasted more than a second or two, being instead just a rapid, incomprehensible blur of movement. Only on reflection afterwards do I conclude “wow, that was a weasel … probably.” Photographing them has always been out of the question, so your encounter and photos are truly exceptional. I’m very envious 🙂.
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Same here, I’ve occasionally seen a weasel or stoat while out walking, but just as a sudden flash of brown. No chance of a photograph!
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I was fully aware of my god luck when I had this encounter, Ann. 🙂
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Needless to say that I was very pleased on both occasions to not only see one, but to be able to photograph it as well. It’s the kind of experience not easily forgotten.
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wie kann man denn SO süß aussehen? unglaublich. ganz toll! danke dir, liebe tanja, fürs posten. und schöne ostern dir und deinen lieben.
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Dankeschön für die lieben Grüße, Es freut mich, daß Dir die Photos gefallen. Auch wenn das Tierchen niedlich aussieht, ist es alles andere als harmlos. Definitiv ein Fleischfresser!
Lieben Gruß,
Tanja
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Wow. Amazing capture.
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Thank you so much, V.J. I was very lucky.
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Welcome!
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This is so cute – unfortunately I never had the chance to see a wild one!
Kindest regards and Happy Easter!
Christa
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Cute–yes. Ferocious–also! But at that particular moment, it looked very relaxed and I knew how lucky I was.
Happy Easter to you as well. Christa.
Tanja
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Wow, ein Wiesel! Das ist ja toll. Ich würde vermuten, daß sie meist zu schnell sind, um sie vor die Linse zu kriegen. Was für tolle Momente und so niedlich. Besonders auf dem letzten Foto, wie es da so steht, allerliebst! LG und Happy Easter Almuth
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Vielen Dank, liebe Almuth. Das war ein ungewöhnlich entspanntes Wiesel, und ich war einfach zur rechten Zeit am rechten Ort.
Liebe Grüße zurück,
Tanja
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So viel Wieselglück gibts aber selten! So schön, daß war bestimmt ein Jahresglücksmoment 🙂 Mal sehen, ob ich in meinem Leben noch eins zu sehen bekomme. LG und schöne Ostern! Almuth
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I’m not great at identifying animals, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a weasel. Maybe there aren’t as many of them as your book says. Hi. Enjoy the weekend.
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I was slightly surprised to read about how common weasels are supposed to be, Neil. I hope they really are. They might be smart enough to not show themselves to us too often!
Best,
Tanja
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Da ist Dir ein äußerst possierlicher fotografischer Fang geglückt, liebe Tanja.
Ein Wiesel ist mir bisher noch nie leibhaftig begegnet.
Herzensgruß von mir zu Dir
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Dankeschön, liebe Ulrike. Das war ein fotografischer Glücksfang, ohne Frage.
Ich wünsche Dir ein gutes Wochenende.
Herzlichst,
Tanja
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I have only seen weasels once or twice at our home in the woods. Pretty little creatures, whatever coat they are wearing.
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How fortunate to have them near your home, Laurie. Though I have to admit that I might not be so happy if they came into our yard to catch and eat birds, or other visitors for that matter. Vegetarians they are not!
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Adorable! What a super sighting. I have never seen a weasel in the wild!
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Thank you, Donna. I’m a little surprised that you haven’t seen one. especially during your extended stays in Florida. It seems to me that some of the refuges you have visited would be perfect for them, at least theoretically. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before you will encounter one.
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They’re in Florida and I missed them? Oh, I had to just research to see where. 🙂 I found weasels are in north and central Florida so I wouldn’t have seen one. BUT, Minks are in the Everglades and Fakahatchee Strand, where I was. I found Florida’s Fish & Wildlife CC actually has a webpage, asking for the public to report sightings of both weasels and minks for more data collection of these two (and river otters too). 🙂
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My old printed field guide shows them in all of Florida, but it’s older and likely not as accurate as online information.
One problem I have with eBird is that it doesn’t have the option to report other wildlife sightings, such as weasels and minks. I know INaturalist does, but I don’t want to start yet another thing that will make me spend more time online.
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Here’s the link where Florida residents or visitors can report sightings and info on them. https://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/terrestrial-mammals/mink-sightings/ I don’t know why they don’t share where the sightings are.
I really like the ID guide they share on that webpage showing the size differences between weasels, minks, and river otters. Weasels are so small to the others! No wonder they are so adorable!
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Great website, Donna, thank you for sharing. I have been fortunate enough to see both weasels and minks here in the region, but to my knowledge, the Colorado Division of Wildlife doesn’t have a comparable website to document observations.
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Not going to believe this, I was just visiting one of the Fakahatchee Strand facebook pages and a mink had recently been sighted. lol The Park said it was a rare sighting, and a cool one. 🙂
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Cool indeed!
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Fakahatchee Strand was one of the preserves I was birding. 🙂
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I’ve never seen one of these creatures, so with respect to your call for accounts of other sightings I’m afraid I’ll have to weasel out.
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You are not the only one to weasel out, Steve, which makes me appreciate my sightings even more.
If language were logical, I could wish you to “weasel in” one of these days.
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Actually you can use that, though it’s informal and carries a somewhat negative connotation:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weasel%20into#
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Very interesting, thank you for letting me know.
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Fantastic views!
I’ve never seen one, except in a photograph😊
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Thank you, Luisa, it’s always special to come across one of them.
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🙏🙏🙏
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Entzückend, Tanja!
Liebe Grüße aus Bremen,
Brigitte
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Dankeschön, liebe Brigitte.
Herzliche Grüße zurück,
Tanja
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Seen lots of martins but very few weasels. Great photos 😀
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Thank you, Cathy. I would love to see martins, but we don’t have them here. I did see my first swallow a few days ago, but it was too far away to ID it properly. Very soon there should be more. 🙂
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What a gorgeous fellow, Tanja. I love these unexpected sightings. They always feel like gifts.
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Thank you, Jolandi. Your assessment is spot-on. I treasure these kinds of surprise encounters like a precious present, not to be taken for granted.
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Driving into our place in fall a couple of years ago, I saw a flash of white in the stacked rock at the beginning of our driveway. I stopped and a minute later the head popped out–pure white, not the partial brown of you photo subject. It ran in and out of the rocks too fast for full-body pictures but showed enough of itself to confirm that it was a short-tailed weasel. I was thrilled, not only because I’ve never seen one here before (or since), but because we always have too many rodents of various species running around. Also, we don’t have chickens, so no threat to domestic critters. When you ignore the ferocity, I am pretty sure they are the cutest predator out there.
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Thanks for sharing your exciting experience, Andrea. Unless I have misidentified them, which is a distinct possibility, I don’t think I have ever seen a short-tailed weasel (or are you trying to tell me in a nice way that I picked the wrong weasel? 🙂
I agree with your assessment about their cuteness factor, their fierce hunting instincts notwithstanding.
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I don’t think you’re wrong at all, Tanja. Evidently, there are both long- and short-tailed weasels in Colorado. Your long-tailed is much bigger. The one I saw was very small, along with the tail being, well, short.
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That’s good to know, Andrea. When I researched what kind it might be, long-tailed made more sense, but I wasn’t completely sure. I would love to see the short-tailed cousin for comparison.
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How fun your photos of the creature are! I’ve yet to see one, but shall look out for them in my wanderings.
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Thank you! I hope you will encounter one during one of your outings.
Best,
Tanja
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He is so beautiful in his winter robes! I haven’t seen them since Egypt but we had both weasels and stoats in our garden. They liked to skitter in the roof tiles at night. Our cats loved to chase them but they didn’t have a chance…way too fast. My husband calls weasels ‘pencils with legs’. Great shots!
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Thank you, Kerry. There are so many different species in the weasel family and most of us see them rarely. Those moments are always memorable, at least for me.
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It is such a precious moment to see our little woodland critters – I love them all. At the moment, I am in love with the woodrat family that lives under our deck. Great big ears and black eyes!
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They sound very handsome. 🙂
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Lucky you, Tanja. I’ve never seen a weasel, wild or otherwease, and only two minks who were chasing each other and ran between my tripod legs into the pod I was photographing. It’s fun to experience them vicariously through you photographs.
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Thank you, Steve. I was very pleased to not only see them, but to have them hold still long enough for a few photos.
I hope the next time you come across minks, they will have better manners and pose for you. 🙂
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Like so many others, I’ve never seen one in the wild. Their posture when standing erect reminds me of a Meerkat on alert. They certainly do rate high on the cuteness scale. I didn’t know anything about the Mustelidae, but when I did a quick check, I found there are some members I do see: particularly skunks and otters. One of the interesting ways the weasel has weasled its way into our language is in the phrase ‘weasel words’ — words that are vague, filled with equivocation, and meant to be hard to interpret.
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I like your meerkat comparison, Linda, another animal high on the cuteness scale.
As Steve also pointed out, the language references to weasels are numerous. This suggests that, at some point, people must have had more interactions with them than we do nowadays.
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a very interesting photos!
Have a great w.e. 🙂
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Thank you very much.
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Love these pics! I have never seen a weasel in person!
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Thank you, Julie. After hearing from so many other bloggers that they have never seen a weasel in the wild, I appreciate my encounters even more!
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