The hunter at dusk

 

 

Leaving work just after sunset tonight (15 January 2026), I caught a glimpse of a Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) bounding across the road.  I pulled over to see if it would appear again, and it did.  In fact, it kept running back and forth from one side of the road to the other.  It was getting dark, so a photo was difficult, but I kept watching because the weasel was so active:

 

 

 

And then I saw another flash and I realized that another animal was involved.  The weasel was chasing a Brush Rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani).

 

The next sequence was amazing -- the rabbit would dash out from the bushes and start running down the road, and then the weasel would appear and start to chase after the rabbit.  This happened at least 4-6 times!  Here's a sample:

 

 

 

I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but in the end, the weasel ended up capturing the rabbit!  I've never seen a weasel subdue prey before.  It felt like it took longer, but according to my camera time stamps, the weasel subdued the rabbit in about 1 minute:

 

 

 

Wow!

Bounding

I stepped outside to stretch and to think about a presentation I'll be giving soon, when movement caught my eye.  First, a very small rabbit emerged from the shrubs and went bounding along to the right at a very fast pace and then dove under a different shrub.  Hmmph, I thought, I don't often see Brush Rabbits that small, and it was really moving quickly.  

I had just started to ponder it, but then another movement caught my eye in the first location...a weasel!  The weasel appeared where I had first seen the rabbit, then went bounding along the exact same route, paused, and then dove into the same bush as the rabbit!  Now what was going to happen?  

Out burst the rabbit, running back in the opposite direction (to the left).  And you guessed it, the weasel followed again.  But it didn't seem to know where the rabbit had ended up.  The weasel kept hunting around the bushes, so although I didn't have a camera with me at first, I still managed two quick photos when I returned.  And then both the weasel (and the rabbit) disappeared.  

A few moments of excitement!  It made me laugh a bit, as it was almost like a cartoon...although maybe not as funny for the bunny, although it did escape!  (I'm wondering if this was a juvenile weasel?  It looked a little smaller and paler than usual.)

 

 

 

 

Fleet feet

 

I felt very lucky today (25 April 2025) when I noticed a Long-tailed Weasel (Neogale frenata) crossing the road and then spent a few minutes observing it along the Bodega Harbor shoreline.

The weasel was weaving in and out of the rocks, so views were fleeting, but occasionally the weasel would pop up and pause to look around:

I liked the way the color of the weasel's ventral fur (on its throat and belly) matched the color of the lichens on the rocks.

 

 

 

Once it perched on the upper edge of a rock:

 

 

But mostly it was lower, leaping from rock to rock, and zipping in and out of the crevices and cavities among the rocks:

 

 

 

Weasels are so fast that in many of my photos I only caught a portion of its body, especially the tail end.  These photos made me laugh, so I thought I'd share them, too:
 

 

 

 

 

Springing into action

 

 

I was a little surprised this morning when a bounding flash of color caught my eye.  Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata)!   

 

I went to get my camera and returned hoping that the weasel might be in the same area.  I couldn't find it at first, but kept scanning and eventually noticed a little face emerging from a freshly dug burrow.

 

This weasel was quite active — looking around, listening to bird sounds, sniffing the air, pulling back when a bumblebee flew by.  And then it emerged from the burrow, took a few spins around, went in and out of the burrow, and then dashed off to another spot in the grassland.

 

Luckily I had a zoom lens on the camera and the weasel wasn't too far away, so here are a few more of my favorite images.  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready, set...

  

Ready, set...

 

...go!

Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata), 1 August 2021

At ground level

  

Whew, some luck was with me this afternoon and I had some wonderful moments watching a Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata).  I had trouble choosing which photos to share, so here's a selection of my favorites.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remembering

Recently, Eric and I were remembering our encounter with a Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) at Point Reyes last spring.  I showed some photos then (see post from 29 March 2019), but I thought I'd share a couple more:

 

 

I sure do miss going on longer hikes in different places, but I also feel lucky to have these photo memories.

 

I've seen flying squirrels, but...

Okay, many of you probably saw the Long-tailed Weasel photos that I posted a couple of days ago on 29 March 2019 — see the post called "Pop! Goes the...".  Well, I didn't reveal the entire story.  Mostly because it was a little too hard to believe.

I was looking through the camera's viewfinder and was trying to focus on a Northern Harrier hanging in the breeze over the bluff edge...when all of a sudden I noticed a dark streak at the bottom of the frame.  It wasn't until I got home and downloaded the photos that I realized what I had captured.  Now I've seen flying squirrels, but I hadn't heard of flying weasels!

 

Can you believe that?

Well, beware the 1st of April.  Happy April Fool's Day!

😉 

The true story?  I did actually photograph a bounding weasel and caught it while airborne — a very interesting perspective.  But, I missed capturing the entire animal by a nose, i.e., only by an inch or so (Darn!).  Here's the original photo:

 

And here's one more view of the weasel, getting ready to dash away from the burrow entrance:

 

Watch out for April Fool's Day jokes today!

Pop! Goes the...

  

We went for a holiday hike at Tomales Point today (29 March 2019).  We felt lucky to encounter an active Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata).

 

A view from the side in the coastal prairie: 

 

Looking forward, showing the beautiful tawny color below, and the black-tipped tail trailing behind: 

 

Periscope up!  We were impressed with how tall the weasel was when standing on its hind legs showing its full height:

 

Running between burrow entrances, including a great look at the tail:

 

Watching this weasel was definitely one of the highlights of the day.

Small but powerful

On Saturday morning we were walking on the southern end of Bodega Head when a distinctive silhouette flashed by on the distant horizon — a medium-sized mammal, long and slender, low to the ground, with a long tail held up high.  I was both excited and disappointed, for I had been hoping to see this species during the last couple of weeks, but at the time I only had a short lens with me (limiting my picture-taking capabilities).

As we got closer to the spot where we thought the mammal had been, we started watching more carefully among the shrubs and flowers.  It took a few minutes, but then we got lucky and spotted it.  It's in the picture below.  Can you see it?

 

Here's a closer view as the animal rose up (like a periscope) and looked to the side:

 

And another showing a head-on view, the short front legs, and the long tail with the black tip (held out to the right).

 

This is a Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata). I must admit, although I'm not prone to naming "favorites," I love every opportunity to observe this species.  And this individual was actively hunting right in front of us.

It kept diving into the shrubs and then popping up somewhere new.  And finally it emerged with prey!

 

Long-tailed Weasels are carnivores, primarily pursuing small- and medium-sized mammals such as voles, mice, and pocket gophers.  But they're known to be generalists and may switch to alternative prey when it's available.  Although Long-tailed Weasels are relatively small (~11-20 inches long, including the tail), they can subdue sizable prey.

I'm actually not 100% certain what this weasel caught.  In the field, we wondered if it was a young pocket gopher, but after reviewing the pictures I'm not sure.  I need some help from folks who have more experience with West Coast mammals!  Here are several views of the prey (below).  If you have thoughts about its identity, it'd be great to hear them.

 

 

 

 

May and June seem to be the best months to see Long-tailed Weasels on Bodega Head.  Adults are probably feeding young at this time of year, so they are out during the daytime a bit more than usual.

Long-tailed Weasels aren't common, so it's a lucky day when you see one.  But keep an eye out for a narrow brown back bounding among the grasses, or a black-tipped tail disappearing between the shrubs.

 

 

ADDENDUM (13 May 2013): Okay, I've heard back from a few people, and the verdict is that the prey item is a vole.  Although it looked big in the field, the legs are narrow, the feet are small, and the ears are large — all characteristics pointing to vole rather than gopher.  Thanks to everyone who provided feedback and assistance!