Weasily the Cutest Babies!

If there’s a lot of action on and around the reef, we scuba divers might describe it as “pumping”. Well Frampton Marsh has certainly been pumping recently. For the dedicated birders (including myself), there’s been a mouthwatering variety of waders on the reserve. If you’re at all interested in birds, you must have a look at our warden’s recent sightings blogs. Toby’s comprehensive account of what’s about (with a very useful map) can also be found if you click on “Recent Sightings” on the Frampton Marsh homepage. Some of the selection that kept me happy while on duty on Sunday were: common and green sandpipers, up to nine little stints, spotted redshanks and greenshanks and an (almost!) summer-plumaged knot together with a lone golden plover. Having been here since mid-Marsh and missed water rail in the wintery period, I was delighted to see one whizzing around right in front of the visitor centre, the result of post-breeding dispersal as this species does not, as yet, nest on the reserve. We are currently playing host to over 1,000 black-tailed godwits on the reserve! A juvenile peregrine bombed up and down a couple of times causing mayhem among the waders and excitement for the visitors. 

One lucky visitor saw a kingfisher “up close and personal” at the pond dipping area near the visitor centre where there was more action of a different kind as visiting families took advantage of the self-guided pond dipping. Children were observing their hauls of sticklebacks, newts and a host of aquatic minibeasts in the trays provided before releasing them gently back into the water. 

Personally I think the best sighting was not a bird but the lucky couple from Frampton who witnessed and photographed a litter of weasels on the Reedbed Trail. I don’t usually go “gooey” but I’m sure you’ll agree that Daphne Simpson’s photos show that they’re just adorable! 

Weasels are our smallest carnivores and belong to the family Mustelidae and are cousins of otters and badgers. They have brown upper coats and white bellies and can be separated from stoats by their smaller size and shorter tails which lack the stoat’s black tip. Don’t be fooled by those cute little faces. Weasels quickly become effective hunters and their long and slender bodies enable them to follow their prey of small mammals such as mice and voles into their burrows. Access to these tunnels means that weasels can hunt at any time of the day or year; they do not hibernate and can even hunt under deep snow. Dens are usually in the nests of former prey that have been taken over and home ranges usually contain several dens and nesting places that are visited at intervals, rather like otters and their holts. Weasels usually have one litter of four to six young which are weaned at three to four weeks and can kill efficiently at eight weeks! 

So where’s the useless but really interesting weasel fact? Did you know that in Greek culture, the animal was thought to be an unhappy bride who was transformed into a weasel that thereafter delighted in destroying wedding dresses? We look forward to welcoming you to the reserve to witness the wildlife spectacles for yourselves...but ladies, maybe leave the wedding dress at home! 

Murray Brown

Visitor Experience Intern

all three photos by Daphne Simpson