[GrahamB]

Nature may be cruel, but mink are no more 'natural' to Wales than the grey squirrel.

I'd be inclined to use the 12-bore on any I encountered.

[Paultheparaglider]

I don't have a shotgun, Graham, but I agree they are an unwelcome addition to our fauna.

[MikeB]

I thought we were all supposed to embrace migrants these days (Speaking as a fellow Immigrant to Wales)

[Bill McCarthy]

For the first time ever, Magpie have been spotted in the far north.

[Flintstone]

Aren’t mink in the U.K escapees from fur farms, some turned loose by animal rights activists?

I saw a film about it. The first batch totalled 101 who were rescued by a group of dogs because a woman (and her henchmen) was going to turn them into coats.

[GrahamB]

Aren’t mink in the U.K escapees from fur farms, some turned loose by animal rights activists?

Mink have been around for years, originally as escapees from fur farms, then subsequently as a result of being turned loose by animal libbers.

[chevvron]

Those are great pictures Paul, love the one of the stoats.

Agree. Beautiful animals. Never seen them play like that. (I assume they were playing, not that this was caused by a nearby explosion...)

Stoats love to play as do Weasels.
When I was in the Shetlands, the dining room at our hotel (called the Meadowvale, next to the Pool of Virkie and also overlooking the airport; wonder if it's still there) overlooked an area at the side of the hotel where there were piles of bricks and a big sewer pipe. Every morning as we had breakfast, a pair of stoats would run across the road to this area and play in the bricks and the sewer pipe which, having several 'exits' they could leap in, pop out their head at another 'exit' and keep dong this until they decided to play hide and seek in the bricks!

[TheFarmer]

I love bird footage. I’ve got a lovely video of a pair of tits I filmed in my garden. I’ll dig it out and post it later.

[Smaragd]

We're waiting, Farmer!

Our robin comes to the study window if I am slow in putting food out. I also find him (or her) scavenging in the garage if I leave the door up.

[Rob L]

...Stoats love to play as do Weasels ...

(My snip) That's straight to the "Bad Joke Thread", but it does not need repeating here .

[Korenwolf]

Aren’t mink in the U.K escapees from fur farms, some turned loose by animal rights activists?

Mink have been around for years, originally as escapees from fur farms, then subsequently as a result of being turned loose by animal libbers.

We had a load of 'em on the loose around Stansted in 89/90....I was working at the Big Hangar when one appeared in the car park. They had escaped from a farm at Elsenham, IIRC; not sure if it was accidental or with human assistance - tame as anything but fortunately nobody tried picking one up

[Bill Haddow]

I am happy to report that the local Buzzard (beautiful creature that it was) is no more. It had caused so much devastation over the years to the ground nesting birds that everything is getting back to normal, neighbours had lost tens of hens to it, so much so that they gave up keeping them. The Buzzard had his eye one another neighbours ducks - he keeps Call Duck and other types for showing. I wonder? It was infuriating to see it take Lapwing and Curlew chicks as I had given them all the protection I could by not cutting hay in the fields that they were in or putting stock in them until they could protect themselves.

There's no shortage of buzzards in Central or Southern Scotland. They're hardly an endangered species, so why these destructive pests are protected is beyond me.

Bill H

[Waveflyer]

Slightly digressing. Spotted this a few days ago and I understand it is very rare. It’s a bee orchid, is it rare? Beautiful little flower.

[Paultheparaglider]

I'm hoping to get this one into the oven........

Fixed that for you.

Now, all I have to do is figure out how to get him to jump up into the Weber...

[Chris Martyr]

I love bird footage. I’ve got a lovely video of a pair of tits I filmed in my garden. .

Indeed . They are far more prevalent with the warmer weather .
Rather than when there's a nip in the air.