The action has kept going at our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide - but there’s been some unexpected twists lately. Towards the end of September on two nights in a row, we’ve had two Pine Martens coming at the same time, which is unusual in our adults.
It was astonishing to see the two Pine Martens who normally avoid each other, feeding together peacefully. Earlier on in the year, the female Pine Marten came most often and then as the summer progressed, that trend reversed. What I also noticed at that time was that when the male had been there, the female seemed to react to his scent and hide in the branches and not show herself properly. This may have been because she had kits somewhere and if that male had found the kits he would have killed them if they weren’t his.
As she was comfortable with the male, it would mean that if she had any young then they'd likely have moved on. It takes about six months for Pine Marten kits to become independent. Then she would be ready to mate again. On the first night of their recent appearance, it was the female that came first and then the male followed. They mated and then fed together. The second night they only fed together and the male left before the female did, which given the female’s more nervous nature was a surprise. Seeing them together like this gave guests the opportunity to compare them side by side and appreciate the larger size of the male against the female.
The Badgers have been coming in every night as usual. The cubs are now almost as large as some of the adults. They are much better behaved than when I first knew them, but even so, they still squabble for food, especially the stash of peanuts I put under one of the logs in front of the hide. There are also still Wood Mice and Bank Voles to be seen scurrying around. Tawny Owls have been heard from the hide and one night the hissing of a Barn Owl.
If you would like your chance to see our nocturnal visitors head to our website for more information and book your place today.