A Richness of Martens

Welcome to our regular feature showcasing the talents of the nation’s best writers.

My fascination with pine martens continued, with erratic but increasingly numerous sightings on my walks in Highland Perthshire, and I found fresh scats on an almost daily basis. It was always on my return to Ardnamurchan, however, that I was fortunate to see them more often.

On occasions at the busy village shop in Kilchoan, pine martens have been regular customers, albeit not entirely welcome for they are not always the most reliable of payers. However, knowledge of their presence in turn attracts tourists on the offchance of a sighting, and one hopes that this in turn leads to a little extra spending in the local shop – so in a roundabout sort of a way, they may also be bringing in a little more revenue.

Once, in the lead-up to Christmas, one gourmet marten’s sweet tooth got the better of it when it discovered a passion for mince pies. During nightly raids this greedy animal tucked in to a new box but favoured the expensive luxury brandy-laced ones over the economy variety on the adjacent shelves. It became such a pest, consuming so many and opening several new boxes each night, that the shop owner caught it in a live trap and took it back up the peninsula to Glenuig.

That was not the end of the saga, and when he regaled me with the next instalment he was weak with laughter: some wag, hearing of the mince pie fiasco, had sent him a postcard with a photograph of a pine marten, with the simple message HAVING A LOVELY TIME, WISH YOU WERE HERE. Signed, P. MARTEN.

About the author

Polly Pullar is a naturalist, writer and photographer who grew up in Ardnamurchan. She is also a wildlife rehabilitator. In her new book, she offers a portrait of the flora and fauna of Ardnamurchan’s Atlantic oak woods, and in particular a special group of pine martens. A Richness of Martens is published by Birlinn, £12.99