The beech marten, also known as the stone marten, is smaller but similar in appearance. The pine marten is found across much of Europe, from Ireland to Russia. It is also resident in parts of the Middle East. Pine martens like three-dimensional habitats in which they use their adept climbing skills to find food and avoid predation.
These arboreal gymnasts prefer diverse woodland habitat with old trees and a well-developed ground and shrub layer. Tree cavities are used as denning sites. Martens, however, are very adaptable and if woodland is scarce or unsuitable, the animals will occupy cliffs, crags, rocky mountainsides and occasionally the roof space of buildings. Pine martens rarely excavate their own dens.
Instead, they prefer to use a range of woodland structures. As well as tree cavities, they will den in squirrel dreys, windthrow, up-turned root plates and rock faces. Above ground sites are essential in areas where fox predation is likely. In the absence of natural structures, they are happy to occupy large bird boxes, purpose-built den boxes and even old buildings.
The pine marten is a slow breeder, with females not usually sexually mature until their third year. Breeding takes place once a year, with one to three kits born in the spring. They usually have litters of young. The mother finds a suitable tree hollow or an abandoned den to raise her young in.
The young martens nurse for the first 6 weeks of their lives. Adult martens begin to mate when they are 1 or 2 years old. They mate in the middle of summer. The young are born 8 months later. It is quite unusual for an animal of this size to have such a long gestation period.
This 8 month delay is important because it allows the young to be born during the spring when there is plenty of food and the weather conditions are favorable. Did you know that martens have been trapped for years for their beautiful soft fur? Pine martens almost became extinct due to the heavy amount of fur trapping in the s.
The fur was traded to Europeans and was highly valued because of its warmth and its soft, luxurious feel. Trapping still goes on today in this country but with changing fashions and the increased awareness of the fur trade there is less demand for the marten fur.
There are laws that protect the animals to prevent them from becoming extinct. What are some other concerns facing the lives of pine martens? Martens have very few enemies besides humans. Logging has had major effects on marten populations.
Since the martens rely on old growth forests for food and shelter, clearing the forests leaves the animals hungry and homeless.
We are fortunate because here in the Border Country, because much of the forest is inaccessible for loggers and their trucks. Pine martens thrive here because of the large expanse of old growth trees and pristine wilderness.
What are some signs of marten activity? Information on preventing pine marten predation on penned game birds is available on the Game-fowl release pen video. As a result of the scarcity of natural den sites, pine martens may use both inhabited and uninhabited buildings as den sites. Information on how to prevent pine martens taking up residence in your home is available at Resources for householders.
February to mid-March is an important time to check if your attic is pine marten proof. This short video explains what needs to be done now to prevent a pine marten denning in your attic this spring. Skip to main content Skip to footer Search for:. What is a pine marten? Is the pine marten native to Ireland? Where in Ireland do pine martens live?
In which habitats does the pine marten live? What do pine martens eat? Do pine martens eat squirrels? An ambush of an oblivious rabbit is worthy of the translucent alien in Predator. In short, it is the peerless forest hunter. You may have thought squirrels were the perfect arboreal gymnasts, but the pine marten has them for lunch or at least dinner, as they tend to like the dusk.
And this is winning them new friends. In Ireland, 12 grey squirrels arrived as a wedding gift in before escaping, multiplying and spreading. Roll forward nearly years and their population was well established. But then in the Irish Midlands, ecologists noticed that numbers were dwindling, occasionally to nothing. An advancing front of pine martens seemed to be forcing their retreat. Large swathes of central Ireland are now grey-squirrel free. Colin Lawton from the National University of Ireland, Galway has been watching this transition for years.
In five counties in central Ireland their population has effectively collapsed… and it is a very close match to the core population of pine marten. In other parts of the country, the greys are still acting like an invasive species but here in the centre they are disappearing. Emma Sheehy and I were roaming around in perfect grey squirrel habitat in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, but she can find no evidence of their presence, whereas pine martens have left clues everywhere.
Nobody is exactly sure how pine martens disperse the greys: do some squirrels get eaten and word goes around, or is it simply that the presence of a branch-borne killer is enough to scare them off? And the news gets better. Red squirrels and pine martens can share the wood. Emma Sheehy baits feeders with nuts and, in return for a free meal, the reds leave a little fur sample behind.
The forests she has studied are clearly populated by both pine martens and red squirrels. Reds did evolve alongside pine martens and seem to have learnt how to avoid being caught. In effect, the reds have found a local hero to defend their home from foreign invaders. There are now advanced plans to bring more pine martens to Wales this autumn and wildlife enthusiasts are eyeing up the more wooded areas of England as possible reintroduction sites.
Protection, reduced pollution and an increase in woodland habitat across Britain have helped this agile hunter to recover. But their success and popularity is ruffling some feathers. The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust point out that there are probably less than half the number of capercaillies remaining than pine martens and the population continues to fall despite improving their forest habitat.
They want to remove 10 pine martens a year from a study plot to see how that affects the breeding success of capercaillies. In a bid to reestablish their population in England, 18 pine martens have been released into the Forest of Dean.
Read full story. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation acknowledges the possible gain from pine martens triggering declining grey squirrel numbers, but worries about the conflict with game birds.
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