Our Pine Martens are still coming in regularly to our Evening Mammal Hide in the Cairngorms near Aviemore. Their summer moult is nearly complete - at least it is for the male Pine Marten who is still enjoying his meal of sultanas, peanuts and peanut butter high up on its platform, safely beyond the reach of the Badgers
The Badgers are coming every night, feeding and squabbling as usual. No sign of cubs yet but hopefully it won’t be long now. We still make them work hard for their dinner, either by putting the peanut butter at a height on the trees or putting peanuts under a birch log and watching them use their strength to shift it. With our newly installed microphones we can hear them crunching away from within the hide!
There are also regular visits from Wood Mice and Bank Voles as they sneak furtively for whatever peanuts they can grab. Our guests have enjoyed daytime creatures too; Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Siskins, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Woodpigeons and Goldcrest have also made appearances, early on while the daylight is at its best. Our new microphones pick up their songs and calls, including those distantly of Pheasants and roding Woodcocks. Locally there is now Twinflower in flower, a rare plant native to the Caledonian Pine Forest which has delighted visitors.
We have also had our first booking for this year for the Summer Badger Photography Hide. A separate hide that we run where visitors wanting to focus on Badger photography can capture images of Badgers under natural daylight conditions.