The pine marten’s house is called a den. Pine martens make their dens in old bird’s nests, in trunks of rotten trees, rocky crevices and old buildings. They are called Pine martens because they used to be found only in mature coniferous forests like the Caledonian Pine Forest. They have adapted to live in many different areas including the mixed woodlands around Aigas.

 

The pine marten will eat a wide selection of foods. Much of its diet consists of small mammals, especially field voles, but it also eats many other small creatures. These include small birds, frogs, beetles and worms. Birds eggs are often taken and in the summer and autumn, berries, nuts and fungi make up an important part of their diet.

 

Pine martens are not as sociable as badgers and spend most of their time living alone or in pairs. The young are born in the spring and are called kits. They usually have 1-3 kits and these are blind when they are born. The male does not take any part in rearing the kits, all the care is undertaken by the female. The young are fully independent by the time they are 6 months old and leave home to establish their own territories. The pine marten is not as territorial as the badger and the territories of several animals often overlap.

 

The pine marten was widespread across Britain until 1800 when its numbers began to decline. The population had reached its lowest numbers by the beginning of the 1900s. One reason for this decline was the loss of their woodland habitat. The pine martens were also hunted for their fur and many were trapped or poisoned. With growing numbers of cars on our roads, more and more were run over. Today, you only really find pine martens in the north and west of Scotland but their range is growing! The pine marten is now protected by the law and it is illegal to deliberately kill them. This is good news for the pine marten as this, as well as an increase in forest cover, is helping their numbers to increase!