A photographer has captured pictures of a rare ermine spotted in Northumberland National Park.
The stunning creature was seen by Mandy Fall near her home in the College Valley in north Northumberland during her commute to work. Stoats' fur moults to completely white during the winter and the animals are commonly called ermine or sometimes "stoat in ermine".
Despite living in Northumberland for a number of years, it's the first time Mandy has ever seen an ermine, and she was quick to get her camera which she "carries around with her everywhere." She said: "I just thought wow, what a beauty.
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"It was at the side of the road on my drive to work and it's really visible because it's so bright white. Once I had my camera out it quickly dived into the hedge but I got a few photos before that."
Mandy speculates that there could be a few ermine in the area, as her neighbours and partner have also seen them but none have been quick enough to get a picture. She continued: "They're so fast that people struggle to get photos as they're really good at shooting off into vegetation.
Despite the obvious beauty of the cat-sized mammal, stoats and ermines don't always have the best reputation in rural areas of the UK. Mandy describes them as "ruthless hunters" and in her previous job with the National Trust at Long Nanny tern colony, her colleagues spent a lot of time chasing stoats from the dunes so that they would not eat seabird eggs.
She continued: "I do love all wildlife and I know that not everyone's a fan of stoats, but it's just part of the food chain and the ecosystem - that's how it works. I think they're absolutely beautiful creatures and obviously even more so in their winter coats."
Have you ever seen rare wildlife in Northumberland? Let us know!
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