Pine Marten Prize

I asked Carmen if she'd seen any wildlife on her hike into the Park last week. She replied 'not really, there were a lot of people in the Park, so there's more animals on your property.'

But Carmen was holding out on me. She sent this photo she snapped of a Pine Marten. We think that's very special indeed.

These agile fellows are rarely seen. Solitary, with a range of from 5 to 15 miles, and primarily zipping about up in the trees, they are just plain hard to spot.

Voraciously hungry, Pine martens spend a lot of time searching the forest floor for rodents. Big items on the menu are voles, mice, birds, flying squirrels, reptiles, and rabbits. Martens will eat honey, insects, conifer seeds, worms, eggs, and even berries.

They don't hibernate, but spend the winter hunting. To stay warm when they rest, they burrow into the snow. And they have fur on the soles of their feet to keep them warm and to create a snowshoe effect when they walk! Around the base of trees and shrubs is a prime hunting ground in winter, because that is where the mice are.

Thanks for sharing your pictures, Carmen. This one is real prize!