Identification and Ecology
Pine martens (Martes martes) are a distinctive cat sized member of the mustelid family (which also includes otters and badgers). Pine martens are chocolatey brown in colour with an orangey coloured throat patch, a bushy tail, pointed muzzle and pale ears. Scats are often identified. They are typically twisted and tapered at one end. Scats are sometimes used to mark territory so can be found in prominent locations such as atop rocks or tree stumps.
Pine martens are mostly carnivorous, feeding on a range of small mammals with voles making up most of the diet. They will eat fruit and berries when available and are known to visit bird feeders. They are excellent climbers and will hunt squirrels up in the trees.
Pine martens are largely nocturnal but will appear during the day usually around sunset/sunrise. They are predominantly a species found in forests and woods and are more likely to be found in mature stands of woodland with greater structural diversity and more tree cavities where pine martens often make dens lined with grass and bracken. In Scotland pine martens sometimes build dens in buildings.
Distribution and Population
Pine Martens are thought to have first arrived in the UK soon after the end of the last glaciation period – approximately 110,000 to 12,000 years ago. They are quite common in the rest of Europe and once the second most common carnivorous mammal during the Mesolithic era in the UK. Human factors such as the felling of woodlands, predator control and persecution have had a huge impact on the pine marten population. Numbers fell dramatically during the 19th and early 20thcentury.
Pine martens are now absent from most of the UK, with strongholds in Scotland and Ireland. Small, fragmented populations persist in other locations and conservation efforts are being made to boost numbers in these key areas. Populations are expanding across Scotland and evidence suggests that individuals are beginning to colonise Northumberland and Cumbria. In 2017, one individual pine marten was spotted in Yorkshire for the first time in 35 years. As yet, nobody knows how it got there!
Conservation
Conservation efforts are underway to help pine martens to recolonise parts of their natural range from where they have become locally extinct.
A feasibility study by The Vincent Wildlife Trust as part of their Pine Marten Recovery Project was carried out across Wales in areas with high habitat suitability. During the autumn of 2015, 20 pine martens were captured in Scotland under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage. The Pine Martens were released in mid-Wales with tracking collars to better understand their movements. A further 19 pine martens were released in 2016 and another 12 in 2017.
Due to the decline of the population of pine martens across Wales, this valuable work will ensure that this species remains a part of the Welsh ecosystem, improving biodiversity and allowing future generations the chance to see these majestic creatures in the wild. Fortunately, translocated pine martens are now known to be breeding in Wales. Monitoring of the pine martens continues to monitor their progress…
Pine Martens and Squirrels
The pine marten is an integral part of our wildlife heritage and 
plays an important role in a natural, balanced woodland ecosystem. Native red squirrels form part of this natural landscape and their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years (our article on red squirrels explains more…).
Red squirrels can be preyed upon by pine martens, however, red squirrels have adapted to life with pine martens as predators, with their relatively smaller stature allowing them to evade pine martens by travelling along thinner tree branches that aren’t able to support the weight of the pine martens.
Invasive grey squirrels are larger and heavier than red squirrels and are therefore more likely to fall prey to pine martens. It is hoped that as pine martens continue to recolonise more of their former range, they will help the endangered red squirrels to recover by reducing grey squirrel populations. This could be particularly important in Northumberland and Cumbria which is roughly the limit of the red squirrel range in England.
For more information about the Ecology Services we can offer, call us on 029 2065 0331, contact us on info@acerecology.co.uk or click here for examples of our work.
