Firstly a reliable sightings report of a PINE MARTEN in the Pembrey Forest was long overdue, spotted by one of our rangers, Oliver, a brownish, heavy mammal much larger than a Grey Squirrel weighing down the branch in a Sycamore tree, so what were the options, Stoats are known to climb trees but are no bigger than a Grey Squirrel, unlikely to weigh down a branch as described, and there we run out of options.
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| Pine Marten, (Wikipedia free to use) |
Historically it would seem likely that Pine Marten's have kept a toe-hold in the county for many years and now bolstered by the programme of planned releases in Mid and North Wales, perhaps there is some consolidation of their status, Work by local naturalist Ian Morgan highlights the history of this enigmatic mammal in Wales.
https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.llanellinaturalists.org.uk%2Findex.php%2FWinter-1992%2F1993%2Finterim-notes-on-the-status-of-the-pine-marten-in-south-and-mid-wales.html&data=02%7C01%7C%7C0b5c7694361c4fa9fc9608d812a55843%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637279848637648411&sdata=8TBFJM86JUkmXu1CejP8y2GXxPy8BTvZegEmu5yKxgk%3D&reserved=0
The second surprise of the week came in the form of a Instagram message from one of my colleagues, Steve, at Pembrey Country Park showing a photo of what was instantly recognisable as a fledgling Long-eared Owl, spotted by a visitor sat on the ground and rescued by Steve and Mandy and placed safely in a tree;
as it was late in the evening I didn't get to check the bird until the next morning, but it had left the tree with no sign of it anywhere. Long-eared owls leave the nest, on average, at just 29 days old and spend the next two months being fed by the parent birds, being adept climbers and wanderers the young could be anywhere. Later that evening an attempt to listen for the unique creaky door sound of the parents calling did reveal a very poor view of an adult and one call, usually heard best after dark we left the birds to fend for themselves with follow up observations planned.
Adult Long-eared Owl, (Joyce Rae)
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This observation of a confirmed breeding attempt is the first recorded in Carmarthenshire for fifty years, and has attracted a lot of attention from across both Wales and the UK.
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