I have just finished reading "A Richness of Martens: Wildlife Tales from the Highlands" by Polly Pullar.
Until I read this book, I hadn’t realised that the collective name for a group of Pine Martens is a “richness”. It is certainly a rich experience watching these mammals.
This is a wonderful book and I learnt so much about the ecology of our rarest mustelid, the Pine Marten, through the close study and observation over many years of several generations of animals in a single garden.
Polly Pullar has also written an excellent article about the Pine Marten .... Scotland: The Big Picture – The return of the Taghan
"A Richness of Martens: Wildlife Tales from the Highlands" is set in Ardnamurchan, the westernmost peninsula in Scotland and indeed in the UK. It is situated well off the normal tourist routes and I have visited the area many times.
As the book describes so well, the landscapes of loch, sea, mountains and oak woods are beautiful and the wildlife, including not just the Pine Martens but also Otters, Atlantic Grey and Common Seals, Red Deer, cetaceans, Scottish Wildcat and so much more, is well worth travelling to see although some species are much easier to find than others.
I have stayed at 2 locations which 99.9% guarantee sightings of Pine Martens …. Mingarry Lodges (see also here for an account of my last stay) and Ardnamurchan Bunkhouse
Here are some photos plus a short video of Pine Martens during my stays at Mingarry Lodges ….
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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