Changing times on WeaselCam

There have been significant changes in the weasel camera box in recent weeks.  I wrote previously about the 63 visits in 31 days in July, mostly by two local male weasels with three others that only appeared once.  In August there were 24 visits, but probably a few more as I had a couple of camera issues.  On one occasion weasel 1 (white paws) took a vole but then dropped it when he heard the crows and went to the entrance to check.  Deciding that it was safe he took the vole into the pipe for a good sniff but then came back to check if there was a second vole.  Because there wasn't he picked up the vole and left.  Two hours later weasel 2 (brown paws) came in and could smell the vole but couldn't find it.  Later weasel 1 came back for another check.

Here's the video.

There is also a new weasel, the sixth in six weeks.  Judging by its size it is probably female.  The first time it appeared it could smell that there had been a mouse under the slate and spent over two minutes trying to dig it out before deciding that it wasn't there after all and giving up.

A couple of days later weasel 6 turned up looking rather damp and took a mouse.  It also came back to check it hadn't missed another one.

Next time it showed up just before sunrise so the camera was still in infrared black and white mode.  (The cameras have never seen a weasel at night in over two years and many recordings.)

Then the water shrew appeared on 30th August and has been back almost every day since.  So far in September there have been only five weasel sightings (with none in the last 10 days), so we are down from two a day in July to about one a day in August to less than two a week in September.  I don't know if that is just coincidence or if the weasels might be put off by the shrew.  That seems unlikely - I would have thought a weasel would be a threat to the shrew - although shrews are said to be distasteful to predators and the weasels may know about the water shrew's venomous bite.  As soon as there is more news I'll post it here.

One more observation is that now there are few weasel visits the box is again visited by common shrew(s), wood mice and bank vole(s) again, all in the same night and without food put out for them - the water shrew had eaten all the casters.  Perhaps the weasel smell has worn off so it seems less dangerous.