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I got back yesterday from a two week trip to Ardnamurchan, testing out a couple of new locations for Pine Marten photography. I was a little unsure as to how it would work out, but it turned out to be the best experience I've had with these animals to date. Absolutely loved it! Expect many more photos to come! I'll try and vary it with my recent Little Owl project and the hedgehogs in my garden ;)
Note - I've had a number of people ask if these were taken from a paid hide. They're not.
there was a beautiful ambience in the pine forest when the sun shone for the first time after so much recent rain!
I've never managed what I think is a decent vertical image of a Pine Marten until now. This broken tree branch seemed like the perfect spot. :)
There exists a stitch of land where the boreal pine forests of the north wage a creaky and millennia-old war against the deciduous forests of the south. Even as these massive trees sway, windswept, it's as though they're throwing punches that they mostly can't land. But their convergence brings sparks of magic. It is a habitat where both southern and northern species share air. Where Canada jays bounce on those feuding tree limbs in a friendly, quizzical manner. Ruffed grouse strut along the forest floor pecking for meals through quilts of snow threaded by pine needles. Pine martins climb the trees. And pine grosbeaks (Pinicola enucleator) like this handsome chap scratch out winter livings.
I'm just back from a trip up north to the Black Isle in Scotland to James Roddie's hide. Originally I'd planned to go at the end of June, but due to COVID lockdown restrictions I had to cancel. Fortunately I was able to postpone to the end of July to spend 3 days in the hide.
It was supposed to be a trip with a friend of mine, but given social distancing we were unable to go together and so it became a solo camping trip.
I have a real fascination with Pine Marten and was hopeful to get up to Scotland at some point this summer to see them. I'm hoping to spend more time in Ardnamurchan again (perhaps next year) but camping surrounded by midges there didn't appeal this time around!
I was really hoping to see kits having only ever seen them at night before. They were showing regularly at James' hide so I went with eager anticipation. It wasn't until my third and last day, right at the end of the day (8.30pm) that one visited with her mum. The kit is actually on the left, having outgrown his (suspect he's a male) mum already! Amazing to see and I was chuffed to bits!
Pine Grosbeaks live in open evergreen forests with spruce, pine, or fir across Canada, in mountainous regions in the West, and in subalpine forests in Eurasia. In the Sierra Nevada in California they occur in open red fir and lodgepole pine forests usually higher than 6,000 feet. In the Rocky Mountains they are most common in valleys near timberline (above 9,000 feet). In the winter they either stay in similar habitat, move to lower elevations, or to areas with abundant mountain ash, maple, and ash fruits and seeds.
A Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) in the boreal woods north of Thorhild, Alberta, Canada.
23 November, 2017.
Slide # GWB_20171123_9725.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2022 is a better year for us all, and you've got photography plans ahead!
A few more from Ardnamurchan back in November. I'm looking forward to spending more time with these amazing critters in summer next year as well as a few other things planned - including (all being well) a trip abroad at long last!
Pine Siskins seem to come in waves, some years more than others. A few years ago there seems to have been a Salmonella epidemic that really thinned their numbers. For two years I didn't see any. This year they are back in healthy numbers. BTW, many people think it was dirty bird feeders that got to the siskins. I hope people keep their feeders clean.
Pine squirrels are small tree squirrels with bushy tails. The name "pine squirrel" is given due to its preference for pine cones and other conifer seeds.
Murphys Point Provincial Park, Ontario
A Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) in the mixed boreal woods north of Thorhild, Alberta, Canada.
13 December, 2012.
Slide # GWB_20121213_9272.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
Great to have some close Pine Martens views on our last trip to Scotland - although sadly this adult seems to have a cataract affecting its left eye.
Cataracts cause a clouding to the lens which results in a gradual vision problem. Thankfully this individual seemed unaffected.
A Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) in our garden.
We had an invasion of these little birds this morning. I counted over 30.
Here in North Carolina, "winter" only happens for a day or two every couple of years. Today is one of those days, and it's a morning for our winter warblers - here's one of my Pine Warblers out by the feeder.
We have had a flock of about 40 Pine Siskins come in to feed in our backyard. This is the third day they have visited, and they come several times a day. The Siskins were picking through the seeds to find the shelled sunflower seeds and also loved our Suet feeding station. Photo taken in our backyard in Camas, Washington.