Wild Mink

Or more correctly: Feral Mink (American Mink) Neovison vison.

Today, I came face-to-face with this killing machine.
Don't be beguiled by its cute looks - it is an introduced carnivore that is destroying a lot of our native fauna.

American mink will attempt to take a wide variety of species including ground nesting birds (sea birds, waders, domestic fowl and sometimes larger birds such as gannets and swans!) water vole, fish and rabbits.

This one was on a local Fife Nature Reserve where the Rangers used to trap them but since cutbacks halved the number of Wildlife Rangers, I don't think that has been happening.