Pine Marten rediscovered in England

Pine Marten rediscovered in England!
30/06/2010 14:31:56


First proof that Pine martens are still alive in England. Credit Colin Smith

Pine martens confirmed in Northumberland
June 2010. Conservationists are ecstatic at the news that England's rarest mammal, the pine marten, has been found in the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland. Along with Cumbria, Durham, Yorkshire and the Peak District, Northumberland is considered the most suitable habitat for pine martens, and may well already host small populations.


The finding of a pine marten scat (dropping) confirms the long-held view of mammal experts that this attractive tree-dwelling animal does exist in England, but in such low numbers that very few people ever see one.

The scat, from a female pine marten, was found on a den (nest) box and suggests the exciting possibility that the box has been used to raise young. Although pine martens have taken readily to boxes in Scotland, this is the first evidence of them using one anywhere in England.

The scat was sent to The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) as part of the VWT's ongoing pine marten research project ‘Prospects for Pine Martens'. In turn the VWT sent the scat to experts at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, where scientists have DNA tested almost 1000 scats on behalf of the VWT. "Since the mid 90s, The Vincent Wildlife Trust has received more than 50 reported sightings of pine martens in Northumberland so we have always believed that they were there, but now we have the DNA evidence to back this up. It's a great day for pine marten conservation" said Neil Jordan, Pine Marten Project Manager with The Vincent Wildlife Trust.

First proof for 16 years
This is the first unequivocal evidence for 16 years in Northumberland and is just reward for all the many individuals who have given up so much of their time in the search for this elusive animal. The scat was found by Kevin O'Hara of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust: "This is the holy grail for me and many others. Having searched for pine martens for years, and had many tantalising reports for several years, to finally confirm the presence of pine marten in Northumberland is monumental." The finding would not have been possible without the help of funding from the SITA Trust and Dave Robson of Tilhill Forestry.

Great North Pine Marten Pursuit'
Finding this evidence is particularly exciting as the VWT are planning a 15-day ‘Great North Pine Marten Pursuit' - a coast to coast search for evidence of pine martens across the northern ‘hot spots' in Cumbria, Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire. This event, to be held in August, will involve as many as 200 volunteers and will hopefully find yet more evidence of the pine marten's survival in northern England.

VWT staff will set up remote camera stations, use scent and sound lures, search for pine marten droppings and erect and survey den boxes in woodland sites, all with the help of teams of volunteers.

The pursuit, involving a mix of hiking and 4x4 travel, will start in Cumbria and then pass through sites in Northumberland, then down through Durham and across the North York Moors.

More about The Vincent Wildlife Trust

WS

That is wonderful news - how lovely if they ventured further south.

Thanks for posting the information and good news WS

Lai

How exciting is that WS, not even sure if i've ever seen any pictures of a Pine Martin before so this was a wonderful read. I bet the survey in August is going to be something to be apart of, I hope we can find information afterwards to keep us up to date on this exciting find.
I have posted the Vincent Wild Life Trust in our charity section so at least we can keep checking the link for news and also its a lovely charity to have on site.
Just loving that picture of the Pine Martin and like Lai, I wonder if it will ever venture down south.

littlewid-x-

Off on a slight tangent,I unfortunately found a Polecat roadkill a while back.Seems they are also in areas that were considered devoid of the little predators.Good news,unless you are a rabbit or squirrel.

We were really lucky to see one (without camera) in the woods earlier on in the year, sadly never again, but it goes to show how they have spread throughout the UK.

Lai