Equally surprised

This stoat popped out from under a rock I'd chosen as the foreground for a landscape photo in the Vallée de la Clarée, and we were both equally surprised. She quickly returned to the shelter.

By the time I got out my second camera, with a telephoto lens, she pleasantly surprised me by coming out, no doubt to see what olibrius had surprised her as she went hunting. I only had time to take 3 photos, including this one, where she graced me with a beautiful pose.

Stoats spend four to five hours a day hunting. They move by leaps and bounds, often skirting rivers, low walls or hedges. It also has a habit of standing up on its hind legs to see farther.

I only found out later that this camera was configured for JPEG and not RAW, and I hadn't had time to set a faster shutter speed. The photo is blurry, but I managed to get a shot of an stoat, so it's not too bad.