Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Marten – The Next Generation
by admin - 23:32 on 15 May 2010
The big match was a huge anti-climax – Ross County were never in the game and lost 3-0 – but there's been lots of action on The Rural Retreat's broad acres.
Most notable is the first snap this year of a pine marten, who turned up at 9.50pm last night when the light was so dim that the Pentax's autofocus wouldn't work. I switched to manual focus, upped the ISO and captured several grainy but very satisfying pictures.
He wasn't the three-foot-plus adult we saw in the gloom a couple of weeks ago. This, to my untutored eye, was one of this spring's newborns, about half that length, of similar size to Mr Marten when we saw him for the first time in June last year.
This, in fact, could be none other than The Son of Mr Marten. (Or daughter – my talents don't stretch to sexing pine martens.) I like to think that The Old Man has shown him the ropes and left him (or her) to explore for him (or her) self.
Watch will be kept on the garden. More snaps, much sharper, are sure to be gathered in the weeks to come. But not tonight; by the time dark had fallen there'd been no more marten activity.
The lengthening days are becoming expensive, for our two seed feeders were filled four times each today. The feathered freeloaders have got through at least 4kg of seed, plus a side order of peanuts, since yesterday morning. The outlay, however, is worth it.
Along with all the usual suspects, yellowhammers have again been seen in the garden, the collared dove was back and at least two woodpeckers are frequent visitors.
The most gaudy sighting of the day was a cock pheasant who strolled around the garden in a very proprietorial manner, accompanied by three wives who kept a respectful distance from their master.
There's always something new in the garden.
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