Weve had Stoats on the farm for years, most the activity has been around the same woodland the Tawny Owls live in as its peppered with rabbit burrows, unfortunately the dreaded Myxomatosis virus has its ugly grip on this area. I arrived early one morning and before id exited my car i noticed two Wrens and a few Robins all within a few meters of each other twittering away, as i moved out of me seat i noticed a cat so i made my way around to scare it off, that's when i saw the Mixy Rabbit, clearly blind with the infection round its eyes, what was worse is it had been attacked on its back with obvious wounds and fly's buzzing around making its life even worse. So did i turn my back and just let nature takes its course? i couldn't.
The virus had obviously been inside its body for to long and it was very weak, i walked away after i made sure he was safe, but i couldn't stop thinking about what would be in-store for it when darkness fell, if the cat hadn't come back the rats would no doubt take aim, i know if id been infected like this id want the same fate, i dispatched it quickly.
As if life isn't tough enough for old cotton tail, enter the stoat, yesterday whilst checking the Tawny Owl out i saw an adult out hunting, if you stand still enough they cannot see you, only your smell or noise will give you away. She climbed a nearby tree, sniffing, scouring the branches for bird nests. Luckily for the birds there was none to be found. For the Rabbits it was a different story.
Darting in and out all the rabbit holes she finally found a young Rabbit only a few days old, eyes still shut. Imagine been born underground, complete darkness, blind then having your neck bitten and crushed. The Stoat then cached the new born in a small dugout, feet still poking out the hole, a ready meal for later. Stoat will take allot bigger.
So whats worse Mixxy the man-made slow debilitating wasteful death or the Stoat, quick in comparison, un-wasted protein.
