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Post by NellyDee on Nov 5, 2016 16:47:56 GMT
I have been trying to work out the lives and social behaviour of my particular Pine Martens. So first off there were two, which I presume had the three young ones that appeared during the day, and remained coming back to the same feeding area (by back door) at night for quite a long period and the two adults kept coming to the feeding area up the back (away from the house). Now just one comes to the feeding area by the back door and two up the back. They all look the same size now.
So are the two up the back still the original two and only one youngster survived, or did the parents leave the area to the youngsters two of which are now feeding up the back. Are pine Martens social, eg. live and stay together in family groups or are they loners like the red squirrels.
I have a feeling that in fact only one of the youngsters survived, which would be sad. I was hoping for a nice family group of five. |
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Post by accipiter on Nov 5, 2016 18:34:10 GMT
Found this which may help with some of your questions Helen, having a quick read it does say they are a solitary animal.
Search (mating behaviour in captive pine martins’ wildwood trust
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Post by NellyDee on Nov 6, 2016 11:10:24 GMT
Very interesting read. I also followed through on some other links. I do somewhat despair for them. Their preferred habitat is pine forests, so too the red squirrel, but there is just so much tree clearing, it just looks like they are clearing the hills of trees, along the hills around Killin and right along to Crianlarich and down the Strath, also in Glen Etive. So where are the Pine martens and Red Squirrels to go. For now I have a large pine forest up one side and am surround by woodland, but they are territorial, so where do they spread their territory to.
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Post by accipiter on Nov 6, 2016 20:12:36 GMT
I have no idea quite why they would want to clear the land of trees where you are Helen, other than harvesting the timbre in order to plant new ones, but personally I very much value trees even dead or fallen ones as even these still provide homes for flora and fauna.
Alan
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Post by Tringa on Nov 8, 2016 17:24:34 GMT
Although pine martens are said to favour arboreal sites for their dens a survey(2005)in Scotland found a large proportion of dens at ground level. Here is a link to the paper that references this survey - conservationevidence.com/individual-study/5877As you will see concern is raised about the increased risk of predation of ground/below ground level dens but I do not know how great that risk is. Without any evidence to back me up I think foxes would be the greatest threat but in the small part of NW Scotland I know fairly well I have never seen or found any evidence of foxes, however, things could be different in other areas. Dave BTW You will see a familiar name on the attached paper, Helen. |
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Post by NellyDee on Nov 9, 2016 10:11:54 GMT
Thanks Dave. Interesting. I have quite a few places where if they so chose the Pine Marten could 'ground nest'. There are fox here but are generally 'culled' by the farmers at the start of lambing. Pine Martens in the area have indeed found alternative places, up the road (a fair bit) Pine Martens set up home and bred beneath the floorboards of one of the 'let' lodges. The owners did not rent this out till the young had left, lovely photos of the babes (they then boarded up where they had found the entrance). Another friend had the problem of them setting up home in the loft. Actually many people in the area are a bit anti Pine Martens as they have lost their chickens and there is all sorts of advice as to how to protect chickens and their enclosures. Personally I don't have much sympathy with those that will let their chickens 'free range'.
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Post by NellyDee on Jan 6, 2017 9:44:56 GMT
Still on the question of Pine Martens, I seem to now have only four, two larger ones feed together up the back and two smaller ones come every night to the deck were I put food. I have large pots of plants around this area and presumed that the holes dug around the plants were the squirrels burying their nuts. Much to my surprised I picked up on the trail camera one of the Pine Martens busy digging in the pots - going from one pot to another.So the question - is it digging up buried nuts or is it like the badgers digging for worms. Can't see it is for nuts as I put out a big bowl of nuts and sultanas for them and why waste energy digging for them.
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Post by ayjay on Jan 7, 2017 16:40:48 GMT
Much to my surprised I picked up on the trail camera one of the Pine Martens busy digging in the pots - going from one pot to another.So the question - is it digging up buried nuts or is it like the badgers digging for worms. Can't see it is for nuts as I put out a big bowl of nuts and sultanas for them and why waste energy digging for them. I would guess that they are just naturally curious, and it's easy digging: it's the Blackbirds that do it here, any pot on the patio gets the surface earth turned out of the pot on a regular basis, it's even worse if it's at all peaty. |
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Post by NellyDee on Jan 8, 2017 16:00:23 GMT
LOL! The Blackbirds here keep chucking the peaty earth from the borders onto the lawn - really upsets my gardener, so it is possible it is them, but these are holes dug about 3-4" wide and just as deep.
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