Marten

[plonq]

I was just winding my brain down for bed, but decided to post one more picture before I go for those who won't follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

When atara and I were driving home from dinner the other day, we rounded a bend in the road a few blocks from home when I pointed at something hunkered down under a truck parked along the side of the road and said, "What is... that?"

atara stopped the car and we stared at the little critter for several seconds while it stared back at us. At first I had thought that it was a fox, then we agreed that it moved more like a weasel. We drove a bit further up the street and then pulled over and parked so that we could get a better look. As we were walking back, it bolted out from under the truck and then scampered up a nearby elm tree with practised ease. Definitely not a fox.


It was early evening, and between the mediocre lighting and the fact that the creature was darting around nervously, I was having mixed luck trying to get a picture. Eventually it left its perch in the elm tree and scampered across the road where it took up a roost in an evergreen outside of somebody's house. That's where I got this (slightly blurry) shot. It's not perfect, but it was the best picture of the lot.

By the time we got home, atara was pretty certain that it was a marten, and some quick checking on Wikipedia bore that out. It is pretty obvious that it is not a fox in these pictures, but unmoving, in the shadow under that truck, it bore a striking resemblance.

I have never seen one of these in the wild, let alone in the city. If I know nothing else about martens, I can say from first-hand experience that they are almost dangerously cute.

Comments

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

WOW!!!! That is a spectacular find! The squirrel population must be high to draw them this close to civilization, because they tend to be very shy around people.

[lilsongbird.livejournal.com]

Wow! I've spent HOURS hiking in the woods looking for one of those buggers to photograph. Awesome luck in getting a pic. :)

And yes, it's what they call "pine martens" at Riding Mountain, but they correctly called American Martens (Martes americana) . Pine Martens (Martes martes) live in Europe :p

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

Have you ever seen the marten's larger cousin, the Fisher? They (and martens) have been spreading back into the eastern US for some decades, as forests have regenerated and trapping scaled way back. There are urban fishers in Albany, NY, which the NY Times had some blog entries on a couple of years ago.

[kfops.livejournal.com]

Wow! What a great photo-catch!

I don't think I've ever seen a marten in the wild.

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

MARTENMARTENMARTEN!