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.

Common As Muck

by admin - 23:56 on 28 February 2011

“Rare, secretive and you'll be very lucky to see one,” said The One Show during its in-depth, five-minute feature on pine martens tonight.

Three hours later, the usual bad-mannered chomping noises alerted Matchgirl and me to the presence of Miss Marten on the windowsill, making free with the nuts and raisins left for mustelid visitors. The egg had already been eaten.

She left after a few minutes, so as I'd bought a new bag this morning and was feeling generous I put out some more nuts for her to enjoy when we were in bed.

One of Miss Marten's portraits from June last year

But she returned only thirty minutes later to give a fifteen-minute masterclass in nut chomping, gate climbing, Nutella guzzling and peanut butter crunching, followed by an exploration of The Nutella Tree where more sweet treats were consumed.

This hearty appetite is a good thing, for it means she could be eating for two, or three, or even four. We'll find out in April when the next generation of pine martens begins to take an active interest in the world.

I look forward to meeting them.

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