I met them just this week.
Porky the baby porcupine was a serendipitous sighting. He (I assume) was going in circle in the snow, apparently lost or disoriented. Poor guy, I wanted to go up there and give him a big hug but restrained myself. Instead, got these sequences of shots.
Porky from afar. See the circling tracks? They are all Porky’s:
A bit closer in:
So cute and cuddly:
Don’t you want to give him a big hug too?
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As for Wess the weasel, we’ve been waiting for her appearance for days like paparazzi. Some set up their huge telephoto lens on tripod and stood in the cold for hours. Our perseverance were rewarded with a quick dash of a photo shoot:
Wess the weasel poking out of her hole:
Donning her designer fur coat. See her long, black-tipped tail? No wonder she’s officially called the Long-tailed Weasel.
Dashing through the snow:
And here are the shots that make us weasel waiters feel all worthwhile. Wess posing for us in her professional style on the white carpet:
There they are, Porky and Wess, warming every heart in the cold of day.
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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.
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ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY ARTI OF RIPPLE EFFECTS
DO NOT COPY OR REBLOG
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Ripple Effects 
Incredible photos! That weasel is so well camouflaged I had to look twice, especially in the first photo. And the porcupines I’ve seen in zoos didn’t look lie this one – he is fantastic. No nature shots or nice views in mine this week I’m afraid… I’ve been crocheting…
My Snapshot is at http://chriscross53.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/hooky-happiness.html
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Yes, isn’t her white fur coat beautiful. Matches so well with the white carpet. 😉
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Beautiful photos, as always, Arti. I have never seen a porcupine up close and personal before! 😉
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JoAnn,
This is my first time seeing one too, alive and not roadkills. 😉
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Okay! These sightings are over the top for me. How wonderful to see these creatures and to capture them so beautifully. Love the names you gave them, too.
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Ellen,
The first time I saw them. I love Wess the weasel especially. She’s so agile and swift. Very elegant looking. Glad you like the names. Too bad I didn’t get the chance to hear them sing. 😉
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Yes, we want to hug them too! You certainly do have wonderful walks in the woods, and thank you for sharing them.
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lostandfoundbooks,
Yes, we converge there often, camera and paparazzi lens in tow, some bring tripods and stands. So it’s quite a world out there.
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Awesome shots! Porky would have to be hugged VERY CAREFULLY. LOL
Nice photos of the weasel, too, although I’m not a fan. They seem so weirdly creepy to me.
Here’s MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST
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laurel,
At the end, we just gave him space so he could find a way out of that spot. I just gave him an air hug. 😉
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Excellent to get that porcupine and weasel photos. What a treat..in the winter too!
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Jean,
The woods are teeming with life in all seasons here. Birders go out in -30C temp. I set my limit to -10C. 😉
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What great, amazing photos, Arti! I love these. I do wish I could give these little sweethearts some hugs, though they probably wouldn’t appreciate it. Porky might shoot some quills. We used to have some ferrets, so I have hugged a weasel creature before. Not sure ours appreciated my hugs all that much. 😉
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Cathy,
I’d just appreciate them from afar, even though they do look cuddly. So, thanks to my tele lens, I got these shots and with cropping from iPhoto. And isn’t that weasel a princess? She’s slim and agile, with an elegant fur coat. Very impressive. My first time seeing both.
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Oh wow. What great photos, and how exciting that must have been, despite the obvious cold.
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Louise,
Yes, it’s much colder when you have to hang around for a few hours… which I did.
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Fantastic photos! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a weasel before. It’s very pretty and I love that long tail!
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Vicki,
Thanks, it’s my first time too. I’m really impressed by how handsome she is.
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Amazing to see a porcupine and what a beautiful weasel. I didn’t realise they were white.
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Booketta,
The weasel is brownish colour in the summer, and its fur turns white in winter, camouflage. Our rabbits too, greyish brown in the summer, now they’re all white, very beautiful.
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Great shots! Keep them coming please.
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D,
Thanks. Pay them a visit next time you’re here. 😉
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Wess is wavishing! And I think that wait-all-day paparazzi shot should be your Christmas card. You won’t find one more beautiful no matter where you look!
You are living in a winter wonderland up there. I envision you packed up in a warm jacket and boots moving slowly and carefully through the snow, camera in hand. And I know they love you!
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Jeanie,
Yes, I’m grateful that Nature is just a stone’s throw away. Lots more to explore. Hope to see Wess again, albeit I’ve gone there several times after and couldn’t find her.
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Firstly j’adore your title, so good 🙂 Oh these shots were well worth the wait Arti.. poor old Porky going around in circles, I know what that feels like 🙂 no cuddles though! As for Wess, oh la what a glamour puss in her amazing fur, she is totally gorgeous and smart too, no-one is catching her with that camouflage 🙂
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Grace,
Thanks, I’m glad you like the names I’ve given them. And yes, they’re well worth the wait, although I’ve not been successful to see Wess again after that sighting. But, I’ll continue to look for her. She’s more beautiful in real life. That designer fur coat is heaven sent. She’s elegantly adorned.
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I’m in awe! I’ve never seen a porcupine or weasel in real life. Thanks for sharing the photos and stories.
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Allison,
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed these photos. I sure had a wonderful time capturing them. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. 😉
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What fantastic captures! Amazing what a little patience will find.
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Michelle,
Truth is, patience doesn’t give you result every time. Since that first sighting, I’ve gone back many times but in vain. Anyway, at least I know where Wess loves to hang out. She’s very playful and loves to climb through logs, and very quick in catching his prey, voles. Others have seen her and taken photos of her at meal time. I haven’t that pleasure yet. 😉
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These are truly fantastic photos, Arti. I’ve come across porcupines before, and have heard plenty of country tales about dogs getting too close and having to have quills pulled from their nose. But a white weasel? Oh, my gosh. She’s beautiful. Camouflage is such an amazing feat of nature. No one around here has to turn white to hunker down into the snow, of course, but I do spend some time now and then watching our lizards change color as they move from leaf to cement block. 🙂
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Linda,
Yes, I’m so privileged to have seen these two creatures. Wess is of course the object of my admiration. It’s nothing short of a revelation, you know, to have half a dozen of well equipped photographers in winter gears, waiting for hours in the cold, day after day, trying to get a glimpse and some shots of this tiny little being, the weasel. And when she came out, the clicking sounds of the cameras cover the chirping of all the birds. Are weasels that rare? I don’t know. But this one is indeed beautiful, elegant, and very photogenic. The white fur is heavenly. Some photographers have got her capturing a vole in her mouth. Apparently she keeps many voles in her natural freezer. 😉
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Proky and Wess! I love it! I was expecting birds and got an extra treat. Maybe Porky was doing snow art? He does look very cute but hugs are probably not a good idea. And Wess, she is stunning!
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Stefanie,
Yes, I had fun trying think of a good title. Glad you like it. Porky making snow art? Now, that’s a thought. 😉
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What great photos of two supermodels! I do hope Porky managed to escape his own ring road, though – but I like Stefanie’s idea of snow art. Like crop circles, perhaps, but in the snow!
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litlove,
Snow circles… how interesting. 😉
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What superb photos! These are precious, really. I have never seen these animals close like this. You are a gifted photographer.
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Brilliant photos 😊
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