Lutra 60(1)_Smaal & van Manen_2017

Monitoring weasels (Mustela nivalis) with nest boxes

In November 2014 we placed ground-placed nest boxes for small mustelids, equipped with a track tube
entrance, in a study area near Taarlo, Province of Drenthe, the Netherlands (6.62 E, 53.03 N) and checked these
monthly until September 2016. Weasels (Mustela nivalis) used the boxes for resting and occasionally for catching
rodents. The boxes were more frequently visited in summer and autumn than in winter and spring, probably as
a result of seasonal fluctuations in the population caused by reproduction and mortality. It remains to be seen if
annual population fluctuations can be reliably monitored.