In this month’s North East Nature Journal update, NHSN volunteer Christopher Wren shares a rare glimpse into the lives of a new generation of Stoats. Captured on trail camera, discover the playful young kits as they develop their hunting skills and explore the reserve with their mother.
North East Nature Journal – A new generation of Stoats
With the exception of Otters, all mustelids (members of the weasel family) are seasonal breeders, that is they have their young in spring to take advantage of an abundant food supply. In the case of Stoats the food is mainly young rabbits and other small mammals, plus bird eggs and chicks. Stoats have one litter a year, raised entirely by the mother who has to provide food for up to ten kits as well as herself, hunting mammals and raiding bird nests. The young are born in April or May and are independent after about 12 weeks. The female Stoat has a large territory and frequently moves the family around, partly so she can be within range of a sufficient food supply. While the mother is away hunting the kits become more confident in exploring and they develop their hunting skills by dancing and play fighting – a scene rarely observed but captured on trail camera.
The next video shows stoat kits with food that their mother has brought back, in this case a vole and what looks like a rabbit head.
This family was a large one. The last video shows the mother stoat rounding up her nine offspring and includes a slow motion replay to make the mother easier to spot and the kits easier to count. They look as though they would soon be independent as they were nearly full grown. I expect she was moving them on as they had eaten all the food locally. Jenny McPherson’s book Stoats, Weasels, Martens & Polecats says that ten Stoats will eat about 500g of meat a day, which translates to a lot of voles and rabbit heads.
A family group of stoats like this is known an a caravan.
You can get more updates on local wildlife from Christopher Wren on his own TrogTrogBlog. You can discover the wildlife of Gosforth Nature Reserve here.