Weasel on a wander

 

 

A very limited post from me this week as we've been on holiday to Spain, walking some of the 'old ways' as well as bits of the new, and I know which I prefer! It can become quite an addictive pastime so before we had to get back to 'normality' we had a couple of long walks locally.

 

After an hour or so of walking along footpaths across fields and along hedges,  we crossed a gate and came to a road where we found this dead weasel who had probably been hit by a car and been bowled into the verge.  The opportunity to be able to study such an elusive animal as a weasel couldn't be missed so one of the many bags taken for blackberries and sloes was used to carry it back.  

 

 

 

Weasels are our smallest carnivore and hunt on other small mammals such as voles and mice  and when you can see their teeth close up, you can appreciate how effective they must be as hunters. They're smaller than a stoat but have a beautiful chestnut brown coat.

                                                  Pencil sketch and water colour of weasel

Being able to study this lovely little creature closely gave me an opportunity to understand its form and movement patterns.

I've recorded certain measurements to help remind me of how the weasel is built, and was surprised to see how large its head is in comparison with its body. It's slim and muscular with short front legs in comparison to its back legs but anyone who has seen how quickly they can run across the road can appreciate what a speed machine it can be. 

Sad though it is to see road kill, at least something can be salvaged if we can increase our understanding of the natural world. It's certainly shown me  what a wonderful creature it is and  perhaps my sketches might just help others to appreciate it too.