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Week Four – Pine Martens


Pine martens in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, have been annoying locals by raiding rubbish bins, nicking eggs and taking poultry
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Pine martens in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, have been annoying locals by raiding rubbish bins, nicking eggs and taking poultry

Pine martens in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, have been annoying locals by raiding rubbish bins, nicking eggs and taking poultryAt the Marble Arch Caves Centre, martens have been nesting in the roof where they have damaged insulation and could chew through electric cablesJem secures the roof by blocking the gaping hole with some sturdy marten-proof wire meshMeanwhile, Sasha tries to survey marten population numbers. But the martens are far too crafty for her traps - not a single one caught and all eggs gone!
Dusty and Sasha suspect that there are too many martens for the habitat, so Bill goes out and about to gather info on marten sightingsOnce again, Sasha has been collecting poo samples. She sends them off for DNA analysis to see how many individual martens live in the areaAll evidence points to an unusually dense population of martens competing for territory and nest sites, which is forcing them into conflict with the localsDusty identifies some good marten habitat in a woodland and a disused quarry where he plans to place Jem’s marten nest boxes
Sasha does an experiment to see which bait the local martens prefer - jam, chicken, egg or cheese. Cheese wins hands down!Bill sensibly opts to help Jem fix the woodland nest boxes in place, along with tempting cheese tidbitsBill remains with feet firmly on the ground as Jem abseils down the quarry face in the pouring rain to fix the final nest box in placeThe joy of it all is that the martens were immediately inquisitive and are enjoying a new habitat at the old quarry
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