\nOut in the yard yesterday, I noticed some scat (droppings) unlike any I’d seen previously. It was about 1 to 1.5 inches long, around 3\/8 inch wide, black, with berry seeds sticking out. It reminded me of bear scat but was much too small. I wondered what it could be, but my instincts suggested weasel. I haven’t seen a weasel in nearly 50 years, and that was in the Maritimes. I’ve never seen weasel scat, that I know. Still, it’s somehow what I suspected, based on its size and difference from anything else I’ve seen.<\/p>\n
\nWell, I could be right: ermine, a kind of weasel (that’s my interpretation), apparently do live around here, and are known to live in suburban areas.<\/p>\n
\nSome websites say weasels are exclusively carnivores; Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department<\/a> says they do eat berries.<\/p>\n \nWhatever it was, I imagine it’s transient.<\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n wildlife.state.nh.us<\/a><\/p>\n gov.bc.ca<\/a><\/p>\n maine.gov<\/a><\/p>\nJack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane,<\/a> Campbell River, BC.\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Self-tutoring about suburban animals: the tutor mentions ermine. Out in the yard yesterday, I noticed some scat (droppings) unlike any I’d seen previously. It was about 1 to 1.5 inches long, around 3\/8 inch wide, black, with berry seeds sticking …<\/p>\n