Mustela frenata

Have you ever seen a long-tailed weasel? Me neither. Until last night, that is.

Long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata) are apparently native here, according to the Burke Museum at the University of Washington.

This fellow was very cute. I first noticed that there was this reddish brown creature hopping playfully about the end of my driveway, up by the county road. I figured it was a squirrel, until I realized how large it was, and noticed the strange tail sticking out behind it. As I continued down the drive, it continued to hop about, from one side of the driveway to the other. Eventually, it hopped a short way down the neighbor's drive. I noticed it hopped like a ferret, which I thought unusual, as I had never seen a rich red-chocolate brown ferret before, and certainly not one out in the wild around here.

I wanted to know what kind of creature I was looking at, so I jogged back to the house. Yes, I jogged. Highly unusual, I know, but this was a very exciting moment. Arriving breathlessly back at the house (it's a long driveway, you know), I did a Google Image search for weasels and WA. The image of Mustela frenata was a perfect match!

Of course, since I was just out for my evening stroll down to the end of the road (you know, checking out Mt. Rainier, splash about in the sound, contemplate the beauty of my neighborhood), I didn't bring a camera. What a shame! Luck would have it that by the time I made my way back down the driveway, the little dear had gamboled away.

I am hoping I see this little fellow again - and here's to having a camera on hand!

Bats!

Mike and I were driving down the driveway the other evening, and saw flickery little shapes bouncing about in the air over us. It was a bat, most likely a Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus. We've discussed in the past how we would like to help them along by building boxes for them.

This Seattle Times article has some good basic info about our little brown friend, and a link to a Fish & Wildlife site about building a bat box.

I love bats.

Spotted fawns spotted all about!

Mom has been bringing her newest little darlings out and about this past week. They're too cute, but don't take my word for it:

I'm in the bedroom, photographing Mom and babies through the window. Chewie is sitting on the window next to me. She is very concerned about those large 'dogs' right outside her window. Mama has noticed us, but she is unconcerned, being as confident in the safety of modern windows as Chewie is.

Aw, aren't they too cute? Prosh, even?

Northern "Red-Shafted" Flicker

This morning finds Mike and I at the picture windows peering out into the rain at a small bird hopping about in the weeds. We've identified it as a Northern "Red-Shafted" Flicker, Colaptes auratus.

Peterson's Western Birds says that that the Red-Shafted is common to the area and that it has red to salmon orange tail and wing linings, which cause it to flash red or orange when taking off, which indeed this does.

We're happy to see another species of animal make its home here.

Northern "Red-Shafted" Flicker, Colaptes auratus,
image shamelessly stolen from the internet

I didn't do it!

No, I didn't make this mess. Why would you think that? But while I'm here, you mind if I have a peanut?

This little cutie-pie (read: pest) showed up the other day. I had placed a the gleanings from the cat's litterbox in a plastic garbage bag out on the front step for conveyance to the garbage can... I hadn't gotten dressed yet. Before I could take care of it, he had ripped the bag open. Apparently, he didn't like what he found, as the mess was minimal.

Last night, Mike noticed that Tuck was very upset, and totally focused on the porch. When he flipped on the porch light, this is who we found.

I haven't given him, or her, a name yet, but don't worry, I will.

Ain't he cute? ;-)