Two hundred years ago this cat-sized member of the weasel family was widespread throughout the UK. Since the early 1900’s it was persecuted to the point that it became confined to the remoter parts of the North West Highlands of Scotland. Only a small remnant population remained in parts of England and Wales. There remain only remnant populations in England and Wales to this day.

In Scotland however the story is very different. From the Highlands they spread to the Cairngorms and Grampian mountains, and very close to Aberdeen city. In fact I hear they have been sighted in the city parks now.

There appears to be a substantial and growing population in Aberdeenshire, making it a core area for the species.

Their preferred territory is maturing Scots Pine forest with heather/ blueberry under story. Their diet is wide-ranging and includes mice, voles, bird eggs and fledglings, nuts, fungi, and especially berries.

They are known as hunters of squirrels, being very fast and capable climbers of trees.

Current evidence points to them impacting on Grey squirrels rather than Red squirrels. This makes sense as the red squirrel evolved alongside pine martins, where the red can run to the end of a thin branch that cannot take the martens weight. The grey being larger and heavier than the red cannot run to the end of a thin branch to escape.