Mrs Weasel moves house (and takes the family)

Another exciting day in the garden.  I saw a weasel dash across the drive by the gate, carrying something in its mouth.  Guessing it might be a kit I ran for a camera and the weasel returned within a minute or so, too quick for a photo.  Another minute or two later and it was back with another kit.  Being a weasel it was moving fast and the photography was difficult.  I was panning the camera but the weasel stopped as soon as it heard the camera so I overshot.  As soon as I found it again through the viewfinder it was off under the gate.  I didn't see it return but a couple of minutes later it was back with a third kit and the process was repeated.  I waited for ages but it didn't come back again.  The photos aren't technically very good but this was amazing to see. Here are the best of what I managed - all the rest are blurred or only show half a weasel (or none at all).

Weasels produce 4-6 kits in a brood and can have two broods in a year so given the timing I expect this is a second brood.  I only saw three kits moved but I could well have missed more at the beginning of the move.  A weasel will move its litter to another nest if it is disturbed or if there is a shortage of prey.  I wonder if this one had been nesting in my weasel wall, which has two built-in weasel nest boxes, although she shouldn't have been disturbed there.  I haven't had a camera on the wall this summer as there has been little activity in the camera box.  I checked the nest boxes last winter and they didn't look as though they had been used last year.  I have to partially dismantle the wall to get at them so I'll wait until the end of this year before having another look.  In the meantime I'll hope to see young weasels in the garden or on the trail camera when these are a bit older.

I also saw a stoat a couple of weeks ago and managed a couple of photos through the window - it isn't very big so may be a youngster.  I wonder if a stoat might have disturbed the weasels.

PS.  If you looked at my last blog on Roe deer on the otter bridge early and the videos wouldn't play it was because I had forgotten to activate them.  It was fixed later that day and the videos will play now if you haven't seen them.