{"id":31296,"date":"2023-10-03T11:48:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T09:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2f63a4e0-ad19-4e83-980d-fc2335f097fe"},"modified":"2023-10-10T18:39:32","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T16:39:32","slug":"scotlands-pine-martens-enjoy-their-new-homes","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/scotlands-pine-martens-enjoy-their-new-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland’s pine martens enjoy their new homes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rare pine martens in Galloway Forest have taken advantage of artificial den boxes to breed and extend their range <\/p>

By Maria Hodson\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 03 October 2023 at 09:48 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Scotland’s pine martens<\/a> are making the most of artificial nest boxes in Galloway Forest, thermal imaging cameras have revealed.<\/p>

The animals are inhabiting the artificial den boxes installed in the forest to raise their young and shelter during the harsh weather of winter months.<\/p>

Pine martens play around an artificial nest box in Galloway Forest.\/Credit: Dumfries and Galloway Pine Marten Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Over the past 12 months, the Forestry and Land Scotland<\/a> team have been trialling thermal imaging cameras to monitor the pine martens’ use of artificial nest boxes. This spring, the handheld cameras detected the presence of a number of baby pine martens, known as kits, in the forest’s boxes.<\/p>

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Trail cameras – fitted by the Dumfries and Galloway Pine Marten Group – were subsequently fitted to 14 of the boxes to document the movements of the families.<\/p>
A pine marten mother moves her kit out of the nest box to lower ground as it becomes more active<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Footage captured on one camera shows the mother relocating her month-old kits, one at a time, down to a denning site nearer ground level, in order to avoid injury as they become more mobile and playful.<\/p>
Why use nest boxes?<\/h2>
The FLS team erect artificial nest boxes in areas where the red squirrel<\/a> population is under threat from disease-carrying grey squirrels. Pine martens are a natural tool to assist in grey squirrel management as they predate on squirrels – and prefer to hunt the slower-moving greys rather than the reds. <\/p>
A pine marten sniffs at a tree stump.\/ Credit: Forestry Land Scotland<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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An adult female pine marten scales a tree.\/Credit: Forestry Land Scotland<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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A pine marten walks across a tree root amongst needles.\/Credit: Forestry Land Scotland<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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A pine marten stands on a tree stump amongst grass and heather.\/Credit: Forestry Land Scotland<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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A pine marten walks across a tree root amongst needles.\/Credit: Forestry Land Scotland<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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A pine marten walks along a fallen tree branch.\/Credit: Forestry Land Scotland<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>