MAGIC MEETINGS WITH THE PINE MARTEN
Filip Blaauw
The daylight has started to fade in the forest, and from my photo blind at the edge of a clearing, I suddenly hear the alarm call from the thrushes. The elusive pine marten is headed my way. I know I will only have a short moment before it heads back into the woods again.
I spot movement, and the beautiful mustelid raises its head and scouts the area. It’s the same pine marten I have been photographing for four years now. I can tell from the markings on the cream-coloured chest.
My new mirrorless camera with its silent shutter is a great tool for these encounters. After a few minutes I have several hundred photographs of the pine marten, without making any sound or revealing my presence. After licking a bit of the honey I smeared on a log, the pine marten returns to the woods again, still with the sound of the alarm call from the thrushes.
It’s been four years since I first noticed pine marten droppings in my local forest. Eager to see if I would ever be able to see the animal with my own eyes, I first put out a trail camera to learn more about the pine martens’ behaviour. They are most active at night, so the summer months are the best time to get the opportunity to photograph them. Luckily, we have long summer nights in Norway, and the past couple of years I have had several meetings with the pine marten – the shadow of the forest.
Several hundred hours of waiting and hiding in a small photo blind becomes instantly worthwhile when this fascinating animal pays a visit.
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 7.