A Richness of Martens: Wildlife Tales From Ardnamurchan by Polly Pullar

Author:Polly Pullar [Pullar, Polly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: nature, Animals, Mammals, General, History, Europe, Great Britain, Scotland, Wildlife, Science, Earth Sciences
ISBN: 9781788850704
Google: lsPRDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Birlinn
Published: 2020-05-28T20:29:54+00:00

11

Of mice, shrews and weasels

Mice and voles, as well as shrews, are an integral part of life in the Glenmore garden, and peanuts kept in a large plastic bin in the stables are a frequent attraction, particularly for wood mice. Like all rodents, they appear to be innovative and frequently go in to help themselves if the lid is not on tight enough. One morning Chris opened the bin to find six fat little mice had been revelling in an overnight feast, having first nibbled a neat hole in the bin lid for ease of entry. ‘Though the martens would in turn have relished the mice, we didn’t have the heart to kill them, so we caught them up carefully and then transported them away some distance before releasing them again,’ Chris told me with a laugh. ‘I’m sure they soon came back again if the martens didn’t catch them first.

‘One day whilst having coffee on the lawn, discussing where we could site a run for our two guinea pigs, a weasel popped out of a hole in the wall, shot under a bird feeder, and then shot back out carrying a mouse before disappearing down a hole with it. It all happened so quickly. Needless to say, the guinea pigs were subsequently never given the chance to enjoy their outdoor run, the risks were just far too great, and anyway they might have proved very tempting for the martens too.’ Chris was philosophical as she regaled me with the story of the guinea pigs. These two animals had an enormous run in the kitchen but great care was taken to ensure the door was never left open, particularly when at any moment a marten might appear to have a closer look. The guinea pigs, surprisingly, both made it to a ripe old age. Fortunately, there were no mishaps.

On another occasion Les and Chris watched a female weasel carrying something at great speed through the garden. At first they thought it was a mouse but after half a dozen trips using exactly the same route they realised that in fact she was carrying her kits, moving them to a new den. She moved in such a hurry that focusing on her was impossible.

‘There was a large pile of stones behind the garage and one day we spotted a great deal of activity. A female weasel with five or six young was playing in and around the rocks. I hastily set up a tripod and video camera a short distance from the scene and we were lucky to watch their brilliantly nubile acrobatics for over an hour. They didn’t seem bothered by Chris and me in the least, on the contrary, at one point some of them came to play all around our feet,’ Les told me.

Stoats and weasels, and indeed all members of the mustelid family, are extremely playful and use their elastic agility to hone the important hunting skills they will need as adults in order to thrive and survive.

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