Loon Lake Tales

Well we have a new visitor to our bird feeder. We call them Pine Martens but they are also called American Martens. They have a long slender body covered in glossy brownish fur with a lighter coloured throat, a long bushy tail and a pointed snout. Like those of cats, its claws are semi-retractable, and aid it in climbing trees. It also has very large foot pads in relation to body weight allowing it to walk on hard snow. This provides the marten with a distinct advantage in areas that receive heavy snows.

They mainly eat small mammals like red squirrels or mice but will eat just about anything. They can be aggressive if cornered but if you leave them alone there is no problem. Their fur looks very soft but I have no plans on checking that out. During the fur trading days their numbers fell when their fur became desirable for coats. Today some trapping is allowed but the season is limited.

We see them mainly in the winter and early spring. Just another of our interesting neighbors.