Pine Marten
The Pine Marten is a member of the mustelid family which also includes the Mink, the Otter, the Badger, the Stoat and the Weasel. It is the only mustelid with semi-retractable claws which enables it to lead a more arboreal lifestyle such as climbing or running in trees.
The Pine Marten is about the size of a domestic cat and males are slightly larger than females. The fur is usually light to dark brown and grows longer and silkier during the winter months. It has a cream to yellow coloured "bib" marking on their throats and a long fluffy tail.
The Pine Marten is usually found in deciduous and coniferous woodland with plenty of cover and it is mainly active at dusk and at night. It has small rounded, highly sensitive ears and sharp teeth adapted for eating small mammals, birds, insects, frogs and carrion although it also eats berries, nuts, fungi, birds' eggs and honey.
Pine Marten dens are commonly found in hollow trees or the fallen root masses of Scots Pines, an association that probably earned them their name. Cairns and cliffs covered with scrub are frequently used as alternative den sites. Territories vary in size according to habitat and food availability.
The Pine Marten is one of the rarest native mammals in the UK. Until the 19th century, it was found throughout much of mainland UK, the Isle of Wight and some of the Scottish islands although habitat fragmentation, persecution by gamekeepers and hunting for their fur drastically reduced this distribution.
By the 1920s, the main Pine Marten population in the UK was restricted to a small area of north west Scotland. Until recently it remained only at all common in this region where some individuals have lost their fear of man and come to take food provided for them, particularly enjoying jam and peanut butter. A study in 2012 found that the Pine Marten has spread from its Scottish Highland stronghold, north into east Sutherland and Caithness and south east from the Great Glen into Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, Tayside and the Stirling area with some also occurring in the Central Belt and on the Kintyre and Cowal peninsulas. Expansion in south Scotland has been limited and despite reintroduction to the Glen Trool Forest there has only been a restricted spread from there.
In England, the Pine Marten is extremely rare with scattered reports from Cumbria, Northumberland and mid Wales. In July 2015 the first confirmed sighting of a Pine Marten in England for over a century was recorded by an amateur photographer in woodland in Shropshire.
In Wales, the Vincent Wildlife Trust is implementing a reintroduction project through translocations of Pine Martens from Scotland.
The Pine Marten is still quite rare in Ireland but the population is recovering and spreading. The traditional strongholds are in the west and south, especially the Burren, but the population in the Midlands has significantly increased in recent years. A study published in 2015 showed that the Pine Marten was distributed across every county in Northern Ireland.
Although they are preyed upon occasionally by Golden Eagles and Red Foxes, humans are the largest threat to the Pine Marten. It is vulnerable from conflict with humans, arising from predator control for other species and the use of inhabited buildings for denning. The Pine Marten is also affected by persecution (illegal poisoning and shooting) by gamekeepers and loss of habitat.
This photo was taken in very low light and through a window and the Pine Marten was encouraged to visit every evening during a week long stay at Mingarry Lodges with a supply of jam, peanuts, suet pellets and grapes!
Date: 1st October 2019
Location: Mingarry Lodges, Mingarry, Highland
The Pine Marten is about the size of a domestic cat and males are slightly larger than females. The fur is usually light to dark brown and grows longer and silkier during the winter months. It has a cream to yellow coloured "bib" marking on their throats and a long fluffy tail.
The Pine Marten is usually found in deciduous and coniferous woodland with plenty of cover and it is mainly active at dusk and at night. It has small rounded, highly sensitive ears and sharp teeth adapted for eating small mammals, birds, insects, frogs and carrion although it also eats berries, nuts, fungi, birds' eggs and honey.
Pine Marten dens are commonly found in hollow trees or the fallen root masses of Scots Pines, an association that probably earned them their name. Cairns and cliffs covered with scrub are frequently used as alternative den sites. Territories vary in size according to habitat and food availability.
The Pine Marten is one of the rarest native mammals in the UK. Until the 19th century, it was found throughout much of mainland UK, the Isle of Wight and some of the Scottish islands although habitat fragmentation, persecution by gamekeepers and hunting for their fur drastically reduced this distribution.
By the 1920s, the main Pine Marten population in the UK was restricted to a small area of north west Scotland. Until recently it remained only at all common in this region where some individuals have lost their fear of man and come to take food provided for them, particularly enjoying jam and peanut butter. A study in 2012 found that the Pine Marten has spread from its Scottish Highland stronghold, north into east Sutherland and Caithness and south east from the Great Glen into Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, Tayside and the Stirling area with some also occurring in the Central Belt and on the Kintyre and Cowal peninsulas. Expansion in south Scotland has been limited and despite reintroduction to the Glen Trool Forest there has only been a restricted spread from there.
In England, the Pine Marten is extremely rare with scattered reports from Cumbria, Northumberland and mid Wales. In July 2015 the first confirmed sighting of a Pine Marten in England for over a century was recorded by an amateur photographer in woodland in Shropshire.
In Wales, the Vincent Wildlife Trust is implementing a reintroduction project through translocations of Pine Martens from Scotland.
The Pine Marten is still quite rare in Ireland but the population is recovering and spreading. The traditional strongholds are in the west and south, especially the Burren, but the population in the Midlands has significantly increased in recent years. A study published in 2015 showed that the Pine Marten was distributed across every county in Northern Ireland.
Although they are preyed upon occasionally by Golden Eagles and Red Foxes, humans are the largest threat to the Pine Marten. It is vulnerable from conflict with humans, arising from predator control for other species and the use of inhabited buildings for denning. The Pine Marten is also affected by persecution (illegal poisoning and shooting) by gamekeepers and loss of habitat.
This photo was taken in very low light and through a window and the Pine Marten was encouraged to visit every evening during a week long stay at Mingarry Lodges with a supply of jam, peanuts, suet pellets and grapes!
Date: 1st October 2019
Location: Mingarry Lodges, Mingarry, Highland
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