It was horrible and wet but last night I have had my first ‘recorded’ Beech Marten sighting of 2021. I caught a brief glimpse of a Marten actually in the neighbours garden, so technically not in my garden but I’m counting it anyway.
Because it was in the neighbours garden and the weather was so bad there is not too much that can be seen on the video, but it’s definitely there.
It’s notable that the recording is just at the start of the night. At 20:50 it is only just dark, so I assume that the Marten must have stayed overnight relatively close by. As most of my footage is from either the beginning or end of the night it may indicate that there is a den in the vicinity which is occasionally used by a Marten. It is also worth noting that my first sighting of 2020 was at nearly the same time of year, last year it was the 25th April.
I will start putting out some food for the Marten to see if I can attract a few more visits. I tend to go with Jam sandwiches, peanut butter is also good, but none of it is any good if left out in the rain. So I’ll wait for a dry day before starting.
I’ve also had a very active hedgehog week, a post on the updated activity will follow later today. Once my Beech Marten excitement has subsided.
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