Subject: More on weasel hunting behavior
Date: May 26 10:32:29 2004
From: Jody Breckenridge - jbreckenridge at r2usa.com


A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to witness a weasel hunting. A
coworker and I were walking along the Sammamish slough in Redmond just east
of the Willows Run golf course in an open area with lots of tall grass on
each side of the gravel trail. It was a nice day with very few people on
the path. We has just passed a spot with a nesting bird in the grass a
couple feet from the path although we couldn't tell what species it was (we
saw grass moving and heard a quiet chirping from within; we didn't want to
disturb it so we kept moving). As we continued our walk, we noticed the
weasel about 50 feet ahead of us, moving in our direction. It zig-zagged
from one side of the path to the other, weaving its way through the grass
next to the path a few feet at a time then crossing over to repeat the
exercise on the other side. We froze in the middle of the path and watched
as it came closer and closer, seemingly unafraid of us and continuing the
cross-cross search pattern. We feared for the nesting bird we had just
passed. When the weasel came within a few yards of us it disappeared back
into the grass and did not surface again. We waited quietly for a couple of
minutes to see if it would resurface behind us. It did not reappear so we
moved on, wondering if the nest we just passed was about to be raided.
Assuming the weasel continued its same weaving pattern after our departure,
it was bound to find it; such a clever mechanism for locating fresh eggs!

I've seen weasels in this area before, but never witnessed this type of
hunting behavior. Fascinating.

-jody

Jody Breckenridge
North of Monroe, Snohomish County


-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Moorhead [mailto:bruceb at olypen.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 8:44 AM
To: Rob Sandelin; Tweeters
Cc: Pat Willits
Subject: Re: More on weasel hunting behavior


Interesting story, Rob, makes me wonder about the towhees nesting around our
place now (knowing that weasels are likely here too, having seen them in the
past).

A number of years ago, while working in the Hoh rain forest in Olympic N.P.,
I emerged from the forest onto the road one day to walk back to my car and
was startled by a snowshoe hare hopping quietly (in a slow but steady
bop-bop-bopping rhythm) down the road in front of me and disappearing into
the undergrowth on the other side of the road. It made me suspicious and
hesitant to move on and, sure enough, moments later a long-tailed weasel
appeared and came hopping down the road similarly along the same route and
disappeared into the undergrowth behind the hare. A few moments later then
the hare reappeared and headed back up the road hopping in the same
deliberate manner the other way and disappeared again into the
undergrowth...followed shortly thereafter by the weasel, etc. So I remained
standing where I was on the roadside for a while longer to see if they might
reappear, but nothing further occurred that I could see or hear. But it left
me wondering how long such seemingly slow, deliberate and relentless
pursuits like this might go on.

Bruce Moorhead
Port Angeles, WA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob Sandelin" <floriferous at msn.com>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2004 8:45 AM
Subject: Towhee distraction display on a weasel


> There is a towhee nest in my backyard and I have been watching it daily.
> Yesterday late afternoon to my surprise and delight a weasel went
galloping
> across my backyard/forest boundary, staying in the ferns, the path of its
> travel would led it straight into the where the towhee nest was. I moved
> position to be able to see better and the weasel stopped. I froze thinking
> it had seen me, but it was looking the other way. An adult towhee, I
assume
> a parent of the nest was running and sort of hop flying. The weasel ducked
> low and took off after the bird. I had a great view and I was amazed how
> fast the weasel moved! The Towhee flew up into a lower branches of a
young
> cedar and the weasel stopped, then the towhee flew down on the ground
again
> and the weasel took off after it, and out of my view. I checked the nest
> and was surprised to see the female on the eggs. I waited a long time but
> the weasel did not return. Neither did the towhee. I spent the morning
> waiting to see if the towhee would return but we have several and I am not
> sure which is whom, the female continues on the nest. I hope she still has
a
> mate.
>
> Rob Sandelin
> Snohomish County
>
>
>