Marten's Menu

Birds at birdfeeders we expect.

Even squirrels, with whom many of us share a love/hate relationship when it comes to bird seed.

Deer come to ours, gleaning whatever the birds have dropped on the snow below.

Every now and then, somebody new comes along.  In this case, it's a Pine Marten making the most of the suet.

Friends of ours who live nearby sent me this picture.  I think that the two cats, Napster and Achmed, perhaps guard our feeder on the front deck too closely for these shy martens to drop over.

Ready for My Close-Up

Gary, over at the Algonquin Inn on Oxtongue Lake, has the kind of camera I dream about. (My birthday is in May, if you're all wondering what to club together and get for me... hint hint)

He's also located within the proverbial stone's throw of Algonquin Park, and spends a lot of his time in the Park, that fancy camera in hand. He is also, unlike myself, imbued with enough patience to Wait for the Shot. (It's the reason I don't fish... impatience... after all, I figure I dropped the bait down there, the fish had their chance... you snooze, you lose)

Sometimes Gary sends us photos to put on our Blog - he's been over here taking close-ups of our bluebirds, chickadees, fawns, for instance.

So today I'm posting one of his portraits, this one of a Pine Marten he found in the Park, near the Visitor Centre bird feeders. Go to his Nature Blog to read the whole post, and see more of his photos of this lovely little critter, and a whole lot more!