oh heck I don't know. I see a stoat!
Great photos SR, Lovely!

regarding the stoat/ ferret issue, BTI, here's my take:
"stoat and ermine are the same animal, Mustela erminea. They are only referred to as ermine when they turn white for the winter. Ferrets however, are the domesticated descendants of the European polecat (Mustela putorious). They are not to be confused with the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) of North America, which is a completely different species."
phew!