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[nafex] nature moment-off topic



	Had to share this one....Yesterday I saw something white fall out of the 
box-elder tree next to our orchard. My brain first said "snow" but then the 
tree is snowless.....next moment I saw a weasal (ermine) flying back up the 
tree....hunting frantically( their normal speed) and jumped at a large gray 
squirrel.  The squirrel dodged ...the weasal went flinging off the tree 
again, hit the snow bank and.....repeated this 5 times! chasing around the 
entire tree.  Inevitably, the tireless weasal got a hold on the much larger 
squirrel - they fell to the ground and fought for a half hour. sometimes the 
squirrel freeing and back up the tree.
	Eventually they tumbled into the old remains of a log chicken house under 
the tree, and all was quiet.....whew.   They are one of my prime defenses 
against the field mice that populate the orchard area. I feed them red 
squirrrels and mice hoping they will populate. One ermine used to come say 
daily to see if i had venison scraps or mice.  But i've never seen such 
fearsome predation.  Went on so long I got time to get photos. Missed one 
where the weasal was hanging by its teeth off of the poor squirrels ear and 
the squirrel hanging by its back feet!
	O.K. I'll try to be good--fruit topic next time    Mn. Del
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