Thank you Janet,

When I went to work today I looked up my little mammal in several of the
field guides and yes it was definitely not a mink but a weasel. He was
not dark brown but a soft brown on his back and a lighter color
underneath. His tail had a blacktip and he was approximately 10 inche
long. Is the Long-tailed the most common around here? I could use a
good mammal field guide. Does anyone prefer one over any others?

Yvonne Bombardier
Everett, Wa
ravenn at premier1.net


> Hi Yvonne:
>
> The mustelid you saw may have been a long-tailed weasel. I saw one
> crossing the Spencer Island bridge from Spencer to Smith Dike. It
> seemed pretty tame to me, just stopping now and then to look at us as it
> crossed the bridge. I think that was one of the best looks I have had
> of weasels. Mink have a dark, rich brown coat compared to the weasel
> which is lighter and has a white or light underside. Mink are also
> quite a bit larger - about the length of a cat.
>
> Janet Carroll
>