Stoats of Kedleston Hall Wild

Kedleston Hall, a stately home in the Derbyshire countryside,

passed down by generations for centuries.

But another family has also seen generations reside here -

the stately stoats.

It's a crisp February day on the 800-acre Kedleston Estate.

This is real stoat country, but even so,

catching a glimpse of one is a rare treat, especially in the winter.

But just once in a while, you see something really special.

Ermine is the winter version of the stoat.

In the spring, the usual brown fur colour will return.

But for now, a stunning white coat makes this female easy to follow.

Dry stone walls divide the Kedleston pastures,

providing good hunting grounds.

This female has an added incentive for her relentless pursuit.

It will be the first year that she will have young.

But she has competition for the winter spoils.

Nearby, an unusual visitor to the estate

may seem an unlikely hunter

but this is a great grey shrike, the butcherbird.

Spring has arrived on the estate

and the walled garden is a hive of activity.

Inside this unlikely refuge, one of the stoat families has moved in.

Year after year, the Kedleston stoats return to the walled garden

to raise their young.

Although fruit and vegetables were once grown in here

for use in the hall, today the garden is in disrepair.

The piles of bricks and rubble

provide ready-made dens for the stoats.

At this time of year, we get a great insight into family life.

At about eight weeks old,

young stoats, or kits, have emerged from the den.

To begin with, they are nervy,

taking a while to get used to their surroundings.

But their confidence soon grows.

Whilst the kits are out of the den,

it's a good opportunity for Mum to have a spring clean.

The mischievous kits are a handful,

but games of hide and seek amongst the rubble

are good practice for hunting.

The walled garden is now used to breed game birds for the estate.

The rearing pens are bound to be an attraction for the stoats,

but there are other, far easier targets - rabbits.

They also thrive here in the lush walled garden,

but they are easy prey for the stoats.

Once a scent trail is found, they never give up.

They are tenacious hunters.

When the prey is caught,

a bite to the back of the neck with razor-sharp teeth

quickly despatches it.

With so many mouths to feed, Mum has her work cut out.

And rabbits are much larger than she is,

but she is incredibly strong, dragging four times her own weight.

As summer arrives, the restless stoats have moved home.

The kits have grown out of the brick pile

and an abandoned rabbit hole now serves as a more spacious residence.

Moving home also throws potential predators off the trail.

Neighbourly foxes and owls are a threat to young kits.

But regardless of the reasons,

the fact is it's also a move up the property ladder.

The new pad even has some decking to lounge around on.

Although, frankly, it's seen better days.

As ever, Mum is busy hunting to keep the kits well fed.

A male blackbird is helpless, trying to save his chicks.

The returning female doesn't yet know their nest is now empty.

Residents of the walled garden

must remain wary of the Kedleston stoats.

The nomadic stoat family have moved again,

finally leaving the boundaries of the walled garden

to venture further afield.

On this warm summer's day,

the nearby woodland glade provides somewhere to cool down.

For the kits, the stream is just another excuse to play.

These hyperactive bundles of energy just can't stay still.

But they still have plenty to learn.

A squirrel is just too big for a half-grown kit to tackle.

Soon enough, the kits will spread out across the estate

to find their own territories.

But they will have to be careful when they do.

The estate's foxes now have youngsters of their own to feed.

With independence approaching,

the latest stately stoats look ready for anything.

As stoats mate at a very young age, the female members of this family

are probably already carrying the next generation.

With such a great place to continue to raise their families,

the future of the Kedleston stoats looks secure.

Subtitles by Martin Rayner Red Bee Media Ltd - 2007

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