PINE MARTEN: tough hunter on his way back

PINE martens could soon be seen again in southern English woodlands - which is bad news for a certain American upstart.

The grey squirrel, which has driven our native red squirrel almost to extinction, would certainly be on the menu for these ferocious predators. Nimble and agile, pine martens can climb trees as fast as squirrels and will pursue them into the topmost branches - unlike foxes and stoats, which are often left floundering below.

According to English Nature, it should now be possible to reintroduce pine martens back to their historic haunts throughout the country.

"About 150 years ago, pine martens were widespread throughout Britain," a spokesman explained."However, in a few short decades they were almost completely exterminated to protect game birds on large shooting estates.

"Today they are one of our rarest mammals with good populations restricted to Galloway and north-west Scotland."

Fully grown, pine martens are about the size of a cat and have rich reddish-brown hair with a creamy yellow throat.

Comparatively long legs, fur-padded paws and large bushy tails deployed for balance all contribute to their climbing skill.

They can live for up to 12 years, preferring a wooded habitat surrounded by rough grassland.

Besides squirrels, pine martens will eat rabbits, voles, mice, small birds, frogs and even supplement their diet in the autumn with berries.

Recent findings concluded that there was no practical reason why pine martens should not be reintroduced to their old stamping grounds - provided people want them.

A research team has already surveyed woods in Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Avon, East Sussex and Cumbria for suitable habitat.

The team also asked local people about their attitudes to pine martens and an average 64 per cent of farmers, 65 per cent of gamekeepers and 90 per cent of local residents were in favour of reintroduction.

As a result, a broader national public consultation is being launched to assess the acceptability of a general pine marten reintroduction programme.

Despite their ferocity, pine martens remain shy of Man and are mostly nocturnal, glimpsed only occasionally at dawn or dusk.

They nest quietly in crevices or underground lairs and are virtually silent hunters, only making cat-like calls during the breeding season.

Females produce a litter of young between April and May each year, usually a trio of offspring.

The grey squirrel, meanwhile, was introduced to this country in the 19th century from hardwood forests in the United States.

Bigger and more aggressive than the British red, it gradually drove out our native squirrel which now only exists in remote parts of its old national territory.

It will be interesting to see how this American tough guy reacts when it learns the pine marten is back in town.