Innovative mammal conservation
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This report follows on from a pine marten Expansion Zone Survey conducted in 2012 (Croose et al., 2013), which provided information on current patterns of pine marten distribution in Scotland following population recovery and range expansion since the 20th century.
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The small mustelids are characterised by their long thin body shape, which enables them to follow their prey down small tunnels and burrows. However, because of their similar body shape they can be difficult to distinguish from each other. This guide helps with the identification of the mustelid family.
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This ‘quick-start’ guide shows the distinguishing features of members of the small mustelid family in Britain and Ireland, which includes the otter, pine marten, polecat, polecat-ferret, mink, stoat and weasel. It also shows common small mustelid tracks and signs.
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This report arises from a partnership project involving The Vincent Wildlife Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage. The aim of this field-based survey was to gather new information on the changing distribution of the pine marten in 2012.Given the anecdotal evidence of the species’ continuing re-colonisation of Scotland following its historical decline, this survey concentrated upon an ‘Expansion Zone’ beyond the pine marten’s known range revealed by surveys in the 1980s (Velander 1983) and 1990s (Balharry et al. 1996).
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We investigated the origins and persistence of European pine marten populations across the British Isles by identifying mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from contemporary populations (sampled since 1981) and comparing these with those of older ‘historical’ museum specimens (pre-1981) originally collected from the same geographic areas.
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Although sightings reports and occasional genetic evidence confirm the presence of the pine marten in parts of England and Wales, limited success in their detection despite concerted efforts suggest that they are not abundant and that populations have failed to recover from their historical decline.
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The ‘Great North Pine Marten Pursuit’ surveys were initiated in order to collect pine marten DNA from extant populations of England. They aimed to determine the presence of pine martens in specific areas, and so allow a focussing of future conservation resources in those areas, whilst also determining the genetic haplotype of the pine martens.
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In Ireland the Irish stoat is considered to be a near-endemic subspecies, with >90% of the global population estimated to occur in the country. This study involved laying plastic baited hair tubes, 10 per 200 metres at 20m intervals, along hedgerows in the bottom left 1km2 of 10km grid squares across County Galway.
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In 1995 The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) revived its interest in pine martens and explored a number of different methods of detecting the presence of martens, including scat surveys. During this period the Trust’s experiences led to a growing scepticism about the reliability of the field identification of scats on the basis of physical attributes.
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Dens are an important resource for pine martens and sites are selected in response to predation risks and energetic constraints. We compiled a sample of 370 pine marten dens to test the hypothesis that a scarcity of sites leads to the use of suboptimal structures.
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