WeaselCam in July

I have spent a lot of time looking at slow-motion replays of weasel videos recently, learning to recognise the different animals that visit the camera box in my garden.  I am confident there were five last month, all recognisable from the under-chin markings and the patterns on their flanks.  The markings are all asymmetrical so we need a good view of at least one side to confirm an identification.  The two adult males, weasel 1 and weasel 2, have been around for a while.  Weasel 3 appeared on four occasions, all on the same day at the beginning of July.  In my previous post I thought this was a female but I now think it was a young male.  Next to turn up was weasel 4, another young male judging from the size and body shape.  As with all the others it has unique markings and the white toes on the front paws are a big help.

This one has also appeared only on one day but spent three minutes digging around the slate hoping to find a mouse.  As with weasel 3, it may be a dispersing juvenile, not tempted to hang around because of the regular presence of the two adult males.  I have edited the video down by half but it still gives good idea how persistent it was.

Then a few days ago, another weasel, this time obviously smaller and slimmer and, I think, definitely female - again unfamiliar with the box and sniffing around.  She didn't take the vole that was under the slate but weasel 1 had missed it a bit earlier as well.  She was back the next day but has not been since.

Weasels 1 & 5 on the same day give us the opportunity of comparing the body size of male (above) and female weasels.  He is probably twice her weight.

Otherwise it has been the two regular males in the box, both turning up most days and usually staying for only a few seconds.  There was one strange episode.  Weasel 1 (white paws) collected a vole from under the slate at 11.35 one morning but then dropped it in the pipe and didn't return.  At 09.55 the next morning weasel 2 (brown paws and a very distinctive pattern on his left rear leg) came and took the vole from the pipe.  Ten hours later weasel 1 returned and was searching the box, perhaps still smelling the vole.

In the 31 days in July there were 63 visits to the camera box, 32 by weasel 1, 17 by weasel 2, five by weasel 3, one by weasel 4 and two by weasel 5.  Only two days saw no weasel.  I have been putting in a mouse or a vole from the trap in the attic once or twice a week and the rest of the time they are just checking.  They rarely show on the other cameras now and don't seem interested in my weasel wall or the other camera box at the moment.  With the two mature males showing up so regularly I doubt if any of the juveniles are likely to stick around.