Last year, Andy (Howard) managed to capture some photos of a pine marten visiting his hide in a woodland meant for red squirrels. We tried to coax it back, but with little success.
This year, the pine marten began to visit again, albeit briefly and mostly during daylight hours. With some free time available later in March, I decided to spend a few hours in the hide, hopeful for another sighting.
I put out food for it, such as peanuts, safe peanut butter, hazelnuts, eggs, and honey. Then, it was simply a matter of sitting and waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
The light shifted throughout the day, and just as I was preparing to leave, something in the shadows caught my attention. A light-colored patch was moving. Lifting my binoculars, I spotted a pine marten standing on its hind legs, surveying the woodland. It was an exhilarating moment.
I had to crank my ISO to very high levels to capture any images, but it showed promise and motivated me to try again in the following days, weather permitting.
After a couple of visits, I was able to capture some decent portraits of the pine marten, even though they were taken at moderately high ISOs, along with some video footage, which added a lot to the experience.
Then, one evening while the sunlight still filtered through the trees, it appeared and seemingly posed for the best shot yet, standing tall on its hind legs with the amber light illuminating its head.
This image is definitely a contender for March’s IOTM.
We’re looking to offer woodland hide days soon, which could give clients the opportunity to photograph the local red squirrels, along with birds like woodpeckers, crested tits, long-tailed tits, and treecreepers. Additionally, there’s the enchanting chance to see pine martens and badgers; I even spotted one during daylight hours recently.
Stay tuned to my social media and this page for updates on that project.
