Pine Marten
Pine Marten are predominantly nocturnal although in some areas they show crepuscular behaviour, especially when kits are young. This is what I was hoping for on this journey. I was lucky enough to encounter Pine Marten from as early as 3.30pm on some days. While there were periods of inactivity which could last hours at a time, whereby sitting still with midges relentlessly trying to get at you is very difficult (!), they would remain active long into the night.
An adult male and two kits frequented the area where I was staying. They were very entertaining to watch. During the day they would be quite tentative in exploring their surroundings looking for food. If any food was found they’d hold it in their mouths and dash off into the safety of the undergrowth, presumably to stash it for another time. However, once dusk had arrived they became incredibly bold, often coming within meters of me, completely unperturbed by the torch light to watch them. The two kits would constantly play fight with each other, squabbling for minutes at a time and making shriek cries not too dissimilar to a cat squealing. This would then be followed by the two comically chasing each other around on the ground and up in the trees. Photographing them was a challenge due to low light conditions and their inability to stand still, but this challenge is always half the fun of wildlife photography and makes the photos that you take all the more worthwhile.