1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,713 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold 2 00:00:04,773 --> 00:00:08,954 Outdoor. When we're out in the elements, we're in our element. 3 00:00:09,174 --> 00:00:12,575 And outside retail expert Cotswold Outdoor is helping more 4 00:00:12,576 --> 00:00:16,717 of us to get out with the right kit. Thanks also to their 5 00:00:16,777 --> 00:00:19,817 support, the National Trust is helping walking communities to 6 00:00:19,897 --> 00:00:24,459 access the UK's outside spaces. And we're working to fix 15,000 7 00:00:24,499 --> 00:00:28,580 kilometres of paths and trails by 2030 for everyone to enjoy. 8 00:00:29,484 --> 00:00:31,545 Find your element with Cotswold Outdoor. 9 00:00:34,047 --> 00:00:35,428 DAN ICETON: First time you see a pine marten on the estate?. 10 00:00:35,448 --> 00:00:38,089 NICK ALLEN: I think I'll scream. I actually do. 11 00:00:38,770 --> 00:00:39,930 DAN ICETON: It's going to be a day of celebration. 12 00:00:40,010 --> 00:00:40,811 NICK ALLEN: Yeah, absolutely. 13 00:00:43,652 --> 00:00:46,334 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Have you ever seen a pine marten? Could you 14 00:00:46,374 --> 00:00:49,336 picture what they look like? These small, slinky, 15 00:00:49,456 --> 00:00:52,197 tree-dwelling predators were once one of the most common 16 00:00:52,257 --> 00:00:55,479 carnivores in Britain and Ireland. Now they're one of the 17 00:00:55,559 --> 00:00:56,040 rarest. 18 00:00:57,612 --> 00:01:01,354 But pine Martens are making a comeback. In this episode we're 19 00:01:01,394 --> 00:01:04,676 joining my fellow Ranger Dan Iceton in Northumberland to 20 00:01:04,716 --> 00:01:08,098 uncover the story and secret lives of these mysterious 21 00:01:08,158 --> 00:01:08,638 animals. 22 00:01:11,219 --> 00:01:15,402 I'm Rosie Holdsworth. Welcome to Wild Tales, Pine Martens' 23 00:01:15,462 --> 00:01:15,862 Return. 24 00:01:23,746 --> 00:01:27,008 There was once a time you could look at a tree in UK woods and 25 00:01:27,009 --> 00:01:29,569 you might catch a glimpse of an unusual animal. 26 00:01:32,530 --> 00:01:36,051 Cat-like, agile, with sharp teeth and sharper claws, 27 00:01:36,451 --> 00:01:39,852 pocket-sized predator the pine marten climbed freely around 28 00:01:39,872 --> 00:01:43,593 their treetop territory, hunting, making their homes and 29 00:01:43,653 --> 00:01:44,913 raising tiny kits. 30 00:01:48,874 --> 00:01:51,795 Then, over the centuries, habitat loss and persecution 31 00:01:51,935 --> 00:01:54,776 drove these arboreal animals to the absolute brink. 32 00:01:58,904 --> 00:02:02,205 But now, determined conservation work has given pine martens 33 00:02:02,285 --> 00:02:03,006 another chance. 34 00:02:08,168 --> 00:02:10,909 In Wallington estate in Northumberland, Ranger Dan's on 35 00:02:10,910 --> 00:02:14,291 a mission. He and his team are determined to encourage pine 36 00:02:14,311 --> 00:02:17,372 martens down from Scotland through Northumberland to make 37 00:02:17,392 --> 00:02:20,893 these woodlands their forever home. How close is Dan to 38 00:02:20,933 --> 00:02:24,235 getting to see pine martens for the first time? And what can we 39 00:02:24,275 --> 00:02:27,608 discover from the conservation success stories where, after a 40 00:02:27,668 --> 00:02:30,950 long absence, pine martens are back in our forests? 41 00:02:35,553 --> 00:02:38,095 DAN ICETON: Hello, I'm Ranger Dan. We're here at Wallington in 42 00:02:38,115 --> 00:02:41,236 the new hide, situated off west wood. We're looking out on a 43 00:02:41,697 --> 00:02:46,279 mixed woodland of young oak trees and some mature larch. We 44 00:02:46,299 --> 00:02:47,500 can hear the birds singing. 45 00:02:49,361 --> 00:02:51,523 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: It's a spring morning and Dan shares how 46 00:02:51,603 --> 00:02:53,724 starting the day in the woods is his happy place. 47 00:02:55,696 --> 00:02:58,758 DAN ICETON: So I finished university. I've always loved 48 00:02:59,298 --> 00:03:02,840 nature, always been really interested in being outside. I 49 00:03:03,301 --> 00:03:06,162 love the outdoors, being out on walks, climbing, swimming. And 50 00:03:06,163 --> 00:03:09,304 that led me into wanting to do a job where I could work outside, 51 00:03:09,364 --> 00:03:12,326 work with nature and try and help nature conservation in the 52 00:03:12,346 --> 00:03:12,626 country. 53 00:03:13,066 --> 00:03:15,868 I've got a son and I'm trying to get him out as much as possible, 54 00:03:16,808 --> 00:03:20,311 which has always got its little adventures to it. He loves the 55 00:03:20,351 --> 00:03:22,612 water as well, which keeps us on my toes. 56 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:27,461 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Hunkered in this small wooden lookout hide 57 00:03:27,481 --> 00:03:30,562 away from the visitor path, you're immersed in the forest 58 00:03:30,682 --> 00:03:32,603 and nature is all around you. 59 00:03:34,484 --> 00:03:37,565 Here in Wallington, in rural Northumberland, we're surrounded 60 00:03:37,605 --> 00:03:41,647 by a wealth of wildlife. There are birds, deer and somewhere 61 00:03:41,687 --> 00:03:45,088 out in the estate, rare mammals like reintroduced beavers and 62 00:03:45,148 --> 00:03:46,269 native red squirrels. 63 00:03:47,509 --> 00:03:50,871 Hopefully one day soon, visitors will be able to see a new rare 64 00:03:50,911 --> 00:03:54,593 mammal, the pine marten. And today Dan will be getting this 65 00:03:54,613 --> 00:03:58,575 habitat pine marten ready. Now, I'm one of the lucky few. I used 66 00:03:58,576 --> 00:04:00,937 to work in the Scottish Highlands and would regularly 67 00:04:00,977 --> 00:04:02,658 take people to see pine martens. 68 00:04:03,038 --> 00:04:05,020 We used to tempt them out with peanut butter and jam 69 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,322 sandwiches. They look pristine and beautiful, but they have a 70 00:04:08,382 --> 00:04:12,344 cheeky, naughty vibe and they're super charismatic. So what 71 00:04:12,404 --> 00:04:15,126 exactly do these unusual tree-dwelling predators look 72 00:04:15,186 --> 00:04:17,608 like? And how do you know when you've seen one? 73 00:04:18,926 --> 00:04:21,827 DAN ICETON: pine marten, they are part of the mustelid family 74 00:04:22,287 --> 00:04:26,228 which are related to weasels and stoats. So they look very 75 00:04:26,328 --> 00:04:29,629 similar, they're quite a long slender body about the size of 76 00:04:29,630 --> 00:04:31,830 the cat with quite a big bushy tail. 77 00:04:31,831 --> 00:04:36,611 They've got lovely little rounded ears and tend to be a 78 00:04:37,211 --> 00:04:39,552 brown sometimes a light brown or a dark brown depending on the 79 00:04:39,572 --> 00:04:43,033 season and then they've got this bright yellow bib so that their 80 00:04:43,113 --> 00:04:46,954 chest is a really bright yellow colour which is a really good 81 00:04:47,054 --> 00:04:50,755 identifier so that's how we tend to see them. They're arboreal 82 00:04:50,835 --> 00:04:53,436 creatures so they live up in the trees that's where you'll find 83 00:04:53,456 --> 00:04:55,297 them most, they're phenomenal climbers. 84 00:04:56,817 --> 00:04:58,658 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: pine martens' conservation status is 85 00:04:58,778 --> 00:05:02,379 critically endangered in England and Wales with most of the UK's 86 00:05:02,419 --> 00:05:06,580 population surviving only in Scotland. Once widespread the 87 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:10,041 animals suffered catastrophic decline during the 18th the 19th 88 00:05:10,081 --> 00:05:10,621 centuries. 89 00:05:12,662 --> 00:05:16,764 DAN ICETON: pine martens, they were all across England. So they 90 00:05:16,804 --> 00:05:20,967 got pushed out of England about 400 years ago roughly. There was 91 00:05:20,987 --> 00:05:24,549 habitat loss so as we cut down our trees, as we cleared our 92 00:05:24,550 --> 00:05:27,851 woodlands out or as we moved our woodlands to just monoculture 93 00:05:27,871 --> 00:05:31,013 which didn't have as much life in, it pushed the pine mountains 94 00:05:31,073 --> 00:05:31,234 out. 95 00:05:31,334 --> 00:05:35,837 But they're also seen as a pest species. We used to control 96 00:05:35,917 --> 00:05:40,020 them, we didn't like them because they will predate on a 97 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,142 lot of things so they were hunted. And as well on top of 98 00:05:43,162 --> 00:05:46,664 that, their fur was used. It then pushed them out of the 99 00:05:46,684 --> 00:05:49,427 country to the point where they were only really up in Scotland 100 00:05:49,627 --> 00:05:51,508 in a few isolated populations in the Highlands. 101 00:05:54,070 --> 00:05:56,272 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: But since the later part of the 20th century, 102 00:05:57,313 --> 00:05:59,995 conservation efforts have helped bring pine martens back in 103 00:06:00,135 --> 00:06:01,256 pockets across Britain. 104 00:06:03,838 --> 00:06:07,061 DAN ICETON: But now there is a really good population in Wales 105 00:06:07,842 --> 00:06:10,984 where there was a translocation done. There's a really strong 106 00:06:10,985 --> 00:06:13,326 population in Scotland and actually in the borders. They 107 00:06:13,446 --> 00:06:17,747 are heading down from Scotland and have naturally travelled 108 00:06:17,807 --> 00:06:21,368 down into Northumberland through Kielder and are spreading 109 00:06:21,448 --> 00:06:23,229 through Northumberland at the moment. 110 00:06:24,469 --> 00:06:26,850 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Pine martens' comeback is great news for the 111 00:06:26,870 --> 00:06:29,710 species. And there's another reason their return to our 112 00:06:29,730 --> 00:06:31,271 forests is so important. 113 00:06:33,732 --> 00:06:36,652 Pine martens are amazing predators and play an important 114 00:06:36,692 --> 00:06:39,033 role in naturally balancing ecosystems. 115 00:06:44,118 --> 00:06:46,119 DAN ICETON: We sometimes call them as regulating predators. 116 00:06:46,559 --> 00:06:50,121 They'll kind of take whatever's most dominant in that woodland 117 00:06:51,101 --> 00:06:54,322 which means that they help balance out the diversity of 118 00:06:54,362 --> 00:06:55,723 species in the woodland. 119 00:06:56,603 --> 00:07:01,425 So that could be anything from sort of birds and eggs all the 120 00:07:01,426 --> 00:07:04,947 way through to squirrels which is very helpful for us because 121 00:07:04,967 --> 00:07:08,068 it'll help control the grey squirrels. They will hunt greys 122 00:07:08,809 --> 00:07:11,870 and actually we've seen in other places that because of that they 123 00:07:12,654 --> 00:07:15,415 push the greys out which then opens up spaces for the reds to 124 00:07:15,455 --> 00:07:15,815 come in. 125 00:07:17,155 --> 00:07:19,496 We do have to talk about that they will predate the reds but 126 00:07:19,536 --> 00:07:23,137 red squirrels have co-evolved with pine martens. So actually 127 00:07:23,697 --> 00:07:26,478 the reds are smaller, they're quicker, they can get away more 128 00:07:26,518 --> 00:07:29,439 easily and it's been seen that even red squirrels that haven't 129 00:07:29,519 --> 00:07:33,060 lived alongside pine martens are still aware of them as a 130 00:07:33,100 --> 00:07:36,901 predator and will react to their smell in the surrounding area. 131 00:07:37,161 --> 00:07:41,019 So really exciting species for us. Could do massive benefits 132 00:07:41,020 --> 00:07:42,479 for the biodiversity of our woodlands. 133 00:07:43,860 --> 00:07:46,401 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Pine martens are nearby. They're making their 134 00:07:46,421 --> 00:07:49,242 way down from Scotland and excitingly they've been spotted 135 00:07:49,322 --> 00:07:52,464 not far from Wallington in Northumberland's lush forests. 136 00:07:55,105 --> 00:07:58,086 Pine martens and other animals travel through green corridors 137 00:07:58,146 --> 00:08:01,327 like wooded areas and hedgerows. It's a bit like following a road 138 00:08:01,387 --> 00:08:04,829 map to get from one area to the next. It's one of the reasons 139 00:08:04,929 --> 00:08:09,130 joined up green spaces are so important. Dan's sure Wallington 140 00:08:09,170 --> 00:08:12,271 will be the perfect home for the animals and he's constantly on 141 00:08:12,272 --> 00:08:13,572 the lookout for their arrival. 142 00:08:14,412 --> 00:08:16,953 DAN ICETON: So I've been working for the past year and a half 143 00:08:17,293 --> 00:08:20,714 trying to get pine martens onto the estate, trying to encourage 144 00:08:20,734 --> 00:08:24,255 them down through Northumberland using habitat improvements, 145 00:08:24,335 --> 00:08:27,876 trying to get more spaces for them. Constantly looking for 146 00:08:28,136 --> 00:08:28,696 pine martens. 147 00:08:29,576 --> 00:08:31,837 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Today Dan's putting up pine marten boxes. 148 00:08:32,217 --> 00:08:34,818 It's time to head out of the hide and into the open 149 00:08:34,878 --> 00:08:35,378 woodlands. 150 00:08:39,775 --> 00:08:43,216 It's a heavy, manual job fixing these sizeable wooden boxes into 151 00:08:43,276 --> 00:08:46,298 trees but they'll provide the perfect home for pine martens 152 00:08:46,299 --> 00:08:49,799 and their kits. And the team will be able to survey the dens 153 00:08:49,819 --> 00:08:53,781 with cameras for activity. First Dan gives us a quick tour of his 154 00:08:53,821 --> 00:08:55,542 handmade pine marten mansion. 155 00:08:56,102 --> 00:08:59,944 DAN ICETON: This is one of our pine marten den boxes. Imagine 156 00:08:59,945 --> 00:09:03,665 your standard bird box in there and probably quadruple it in 157 00:09:03,745 --> 00:09:04,185 size. 158 00:09:04,185 --> 00:09:07,870 It's a much bigger, chunkier thing than a bird box. It 159 00:09:07,890 --> 00:09:10,194 doesn't have a hole on the front instead the holes are on the 160 00:09:10,295 --> 00:09:14,062 back at the bottom so that you can get straight from the tree 161 00:09:14,983 --> 00:09:19,742 into the box. And then on the inside it's split into the main 162 00:09:19,802 --> 00:09:23,303 chamber in the middle and then the two little side channels 163 00:09:23,363 --> 00:09:26,204 which are, kind of, imagine your front and back door to your 164 00:09:26,205 --> 00:09:26,324 house. 165 00:09:27,704 --> 00:09:30,545 Pine martens are phenomenal climbers so they can get up and 166 00:09:30,546 --> 00:09:34,626 down trees really well. Normally in the wild they would stay in 167 00:09:34,686 --> 00:09:39,008 cavities in old trees, they've got a delayed pregnancy, they'll 168 00:09:39,068 --> 00:09:42,909 mate in the autumn and then the females will travel through the 169 00:09:42,949 --> 00:09:46,750 territory that they've got finding some good spots and then 170 00:09:47,342 --> 00:09:49,483 the kits will then arrive late spring into the summer. 171 00:09:50,063 --> 00:09:53,205 They'll use this box, the kits will stay in the box and the 172 00:09:53,225 --> 00:09:57,326 females will bring food and then once they're old enough the kits 173 00:09:57,346 --> 00:10:01,068 can then start exploring from these box which will be nice. 174 00:10:01,508 --> 00:10:03,949 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: The morning birdsong is interrupted by the 175 00:10:03,989 --> 00:10:07,571 sound of Dan's colleague Ranger Nick arriving to help put up the 176 00:10:07,572 --> 00:10:08,031 den box. 177 00:10:08,191 --> 00:10:10,412 DAN ICETON: This is one of the rangers turning up arriving in 178 00:10:10,472 --> 00:10:13,393 style on the quad. So he's going to help put one of the boxes up. 179 00:10:18,498 --> 00:10:22,460 So Nick has arrived carrying a ladder ready for the pine marten 180 00:10:22,461 --> 00:10:23,160 box. You alright Nick? 181 00:10:23,380 --> 00:10:24,961 NICK ALLEN: Yeah how's it going? I'm good. I'm good, I'm good, 182 00:10:24,962 --> 00:10:25,221 I'm good. 183 00:10:25,561 --> 00:10:27,602 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: It's an uncomfortable start. 184 00:10:28,082 --> 00:10:32,184 NICK ALLEN: So I've just driven across a very muddy and wet 185 00:10:32,644 --> 00:10:35,945 field that is covered in cow pats. Ladder is now covered in 186 00:10:35,965 --> 00:10:39,367 cow pats which means I'm now covered in cow pats. Yeah I 187 00:10:39,387 --> 00:10:41,648 don't think I could get any more covered in poo but we'll keep 188 00:10:41,688 --> 00:10:43,388 going. I'm covered now so it doesn't matter. 189 00:10:43,389 --> 00:10:44,849 DAN ICETON: It's the glamorous part of the job. 190 00:10:44,989 --> 00:10:45,149 NICK ALLEN: Yeah. 191 00:10:46,129 --> 00:10:48,211 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: We rangers never let a bit of poo get in 192 00:10:48,251 --> 00:10:51,474 our way. So Dan and Nick crack on with the task in hand. 193 00:10:52,376 --> 00:10:53,797 DAN ICETON: First time you've put one of these up, isn't it? 194 00:10:54,118 --> 00:10:55,159 Are you feeling all right about this? 195 00:10:55,239 --> 00:10:58,543 NICK ALLEN: Yeah, I'm feeling good. Feeling strong. Feeling 196 00:10:58,563 --> 00:11:01,546 ready. Hopefully the thing doesn't come tumbling down on 197 00:11:01,547 --> 00:11:01,787 top of me. 198 00:11:01,788 --> 00:11:03,368 DAN ICETON: Let's do this. Let's go. All right, let's do this. 199 00:11:05,034 --> 00:11:09,636 So this is a large tree. It's got a number of sort of dead 200 00:11:09,676 --> 00:11:13,858 branches at the lower down part. You've got essentially what 201 00:11:13,898 --> 00:11:17,859 looks like a ladder going up the side of the tree so this is a 202 00:11:17,899 --> 00:11:19,180 really good tree for a box. 203 00:11:21,021 --> 00:11:28,044 NICK ALLEN: Got a rope on here? Left over right, under, and then 204 00:11:28,124 --> 00:11:28,724 pull that tight. 205 00:11:28,884 --> 00:11:32,525 DAN ICETON: And then right over left, under. 206 00:11:34,990 --> 00:11:37,813 So I think that's good. It's secure, it's taking its own 207 00:11:37,853 --> 00:11:38,874 weight. Are you happy with that Nick? 208 00:11:38,994 --> 00:11:39,995 NICK ALLEN: I'm happy with that, yeah. 209 00:11:40,195 --> 00:11:43,819 DAN ICETON: So that's the box up in the tree, roughly two and a 210 00:11:43,820 --> 00:11:47,163 half metre mark up the tree. It's got some really lovely 211 00:11:47,243 --> 00:11:50,646 branches behind it and it's held on fast. Nick's done a really 212 00:11:50,647 --> 00:11:51,907 good job of getting it up there. 213 00:11:52,068 --> 00:11:52,348 NICK ALLEN: Thank you. 214 00:11:52,368 --> 00:11:52,929 DAN ICETON: Nice and safe. 215 00:11:55,570 --> 00:11:58,333 So putting these boxes up and doing this work is the first 216 00:11:58,373 --> 00:12:02,518 step on this project. From there we hope that they arrive. After 217 00:12:02,538 --> 00:12:05,321 that it'll be monitoring the Pine Martins themselves, seeing 218 00:12:05,322 --> 00:12:08,324 how they're getting on, see how many kits we get and seeing how 219 00:12:08,344 --> 00:12:11,628 biodiversity changes. The first time you say a pine marten on 220 00:12:11,629 --> 00:12:11,848 the estate? 221 00:12:11,849 --> 00:12:14,491 NICK ALLEN: I think I'll scream. I actually do. 222 00:12:14,611 --> 00:12:15,772 DAN ICETON: It's going to be a day of celebration. 223 00:12:15,852 --> 00:12:20,174 NICK ALLEN: Yeah, absolutely. Aye. 224 00:12:20,174 --> 00:12:23,616 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Nine months pass. It's winter. The woods are 225 00:12:23,617 --> 00:12:26,938 bare and there's no sign of pine martens yet. But there's 226 00:12:26,958 --> 00:12:30,180 excitement in the air for what the new year might bring. It's 227 00:12:30,220 --> 00:12:34,362 been a year of progress for pine martens. In the autumn, 19 pine 228 00:12:34,382 --> 00:12:37,164 martens were reintroduced to Exmoor National Park in southern 229 00:12:37,204 --> 00:12:37,564 England. 230 00:12:38,244 --> 00:12:42,067 While in the north, 16 more pine Martens joined the population in 231 00:12:42,087 --> 00:12:45,669 Cumbria, bringing the total to 29. And pine martens are 232 00:12:45,670 --> 00:12:48,210 continuing to make their way down from Scotland through 233 00:12:48,230 --> 00:12:51,754 Northumberland's woodland corridors. Will Wallington be 234 00:12:51,834 --> 00:12:52,654 their next home? 235 00:12:56,859 --> 00:12:59,461 To find out about an inspirational pine marten 236 00:12:59,561 --> 00:13:02,844 success story, Dan calls a fellow conservationist who's 237 00:13:02,884 --> 00:13:05,427 been at the forefront of pine marten recovery in the UK. 238 00:13:06,968 --> 00:13:10,191 Dr Stephanie Johnstone at the Vincent Wildlife Trust is a 239 00:13:10,211 --> 00:13:13,433 project manager for the Martins on the Move programme. And she 240 00:13:13,434 --> 00:13:16,275 has some exciting footage from a trail camera to share. 241 00:13:17,075 --> 00:13:17,996 DAN ICETON: Hi Stephanie, how are you? 242 00:13:19,156 --> 00:13:20,217 STEPHANIE JOHNSTONE: I'm good, how are you? 243 00:13:20,697 --> 00:13:22,498 DAN ICETON: So can you tell me what you get up to? 244 00:13:23,098 --> 00:13:26,240 STEPHANIE JOHNSTONE: I manage the team across 11 counties in 245 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:30,803 Scotland, England and Wales. And we are working to support the 246 00:13:30,843 --> 00:13:32,684 natural recovery of pine martens. 247 00:13:33,284 --> 00:13:35,145 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Stephanie and her fellow conservationists at 248 00:13:35,146 --> 00:13:38,027 the Vincent Wildlife Trust have been working with communities, 249 00:13:38,267 --> 00:13:41,309 landowners and organisations to help the recovery of pine 250 00:13:41,329 --> 00:13:44,870 martens. The charity has set up monitoring hubs at six key 251 00:13:45,010 --> 00:13:49,451 locations across Britain, including 250 den boxes to give 252 00:13:49,511 --> 00:13:50,971 Pine Martins a safe home. 253 00:13:51,572 --> 00:13:54,552 Den boxes are carefully monitored with trail cameras and 254 00:13:54,632 --> 00:13:57,753 thermal imaging cameras, so conservationists like Stephanie 255 00:13:57,873 --> 00:14:00,994 can gather information about pine marten activity and build a 256 00:14:01,014 --> 00:14:05,095 picture of their recovery across Britain. And Stephanie's excited 257 00:14:05,096 --> 00:14:07,756 to share some great footage from one of the monitoring hubs in 258 00:14:07,816 --> 00:14:11,177 Wales, which reveals the secret lives of pine Martens at the 259 00:14:11,197 --> 00:14:11,757 location. 260 00:14:12,869 --> 00:14:15,130 STEPHANIE JOHNSTONE: Yeah, so what you're seeing here is 261 00:14:15,131 --> 00:14:19,373 you're seeing the marten mother going inside the den box. And 262 00:14:19,633 --> 00:14:22,414 you can't see any kits at all. But if you listen really 263 00:14:22,494 --> 00:14:25,456 carefully, you can hear the little kits squeaking inside the 264 00:14:25,476 --> 00:14:25,936 den box. 265 00:14:28,077 --> 00:14:31,299 And that's how we actually first discovered it. 266 00:14:31,399 --> 00:14:31,759 DAN ICETON: It's adorable. 267 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,541 STEPHANIE JOHNSTONE: It is. They sound so cute. This is how we 268 00:14:34,581 --> 00:14:37,943 actually first discovered that there was kits in there. And we 269 00:14:37,963 --> 00:14:40,624 didn't actually see the kits until another couple of weeks. 270 00:14:40,625 --> 00:14:45,368 So you can see this footage here, that's the mum taking the 271 00:14:45,468 --> 00:14:49,732 first kit down. And then a couple of hours later she 272 00:14:49,832 --> 00:14:52,994 removes the second kit and takes it somewhere else. And then 273 00:14:53,275 --> 00:14:56,918 about an hour and a half later this third one here, that's the 274 00:14:56,978 --> 00:14:59,320 third kit that's actually the biggest kit that you can see 275 00:14:59,380 --> 00:15:04,844 there now. And she's moved them away somewhere else. And then in 276 00:15:04,845 --> 00:15:08,587 this next clip here you can see the mum like a couple of weeks 277 00:15:08,627 --> 00:15:12,553 later bringing the kits back. So she's used this den box right 278 00:15:12,574 --> 00:15:13,674 throughout the breeding season. 279 00:15:13,714 --> 00:15:16,014 It's such an important resource for them. 280 00:15:17,255 --> 00:15:21,256 This final clip here. So this is now like into June. Those little 281 00:15:21,296 --> 00:15:24,537 tiny kits have obviously grown up a bit now. And now this kit 282 00:15:24,597 --> 00:15:27,838 is learning how to climb up this tree. And they're just so 283 00:15:28,018 --> 00:15:31,559 uncoordinated when they first start learning to climb. But 284 00:15:31,599 --> 00:15:32,899 it's totally adorable. 285 00:15:34,139 --> 00:15:38,040 DAN ICETON: I mean, just that footage from one box. I can't 286 00:15:38,060 --> 00:15:40,321 get over how lovely that footage is. 287 00:15:40,685 --> 00:15:42,907 STEPHANIE JOHNSTONE: It was such an incredible box this year in 288 00:15:42,927 --> 00:15:46,129 our mid-Wales site. We were all so excited when all that footage 289 00:15:46,189 --> 00:15:46,589 came in. 290 00:15:47,470 --> 00:15:48,971 DAN ICETON: Oh man, very jealous. 291 00:15:50,292 --> 00:15:52,513 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Another vital part of conservation work is 292 00:15:52,533 --> 00:15:55,736 through people like you and me getting involved. Citizen 293 00:15:55,816 --> 00:15:59,118 scientists. Especially when it comes to working together to 294 00:15:59,158 --> 00:16:00,979 build big pictures to help nature. 295 00:16:01,940 --> 00:16:04,362 DAN ICETON: So you're calling citizen science, aren't you? You 296 00:16:04,402 --> 00:16:08,565 want people to help yous out with monitoring the pine 297 00:16:08,566 --> 00:16:08,965 martens. 298 00:16:09,773 --> 00:16:12,794 STEPHANIE JOHNSTONE: Yes, Dan, we've got Marten Map. We are 299 00:16:12,974 --> 00:16:16,995 monitoring and mapping the recovery of pine Martens across 300 00:16:17,075 --> 00:16:21,536 Britain. And we're asking anyone who is lucky enough to see a 301 00:16:21,576 --> 00:16:25,637 pine marten to get in touch with us and let us know. So far, we 302 00:16:25,717 --> 00:16:29,778 have had 871 people get in touch with their pine marten 303 00:16:29,858 --> 00:16:32,599 sightings, which has just been absolutely phenomenal. 304 00:16:32,679 --> 00:16:34,840 All of these people contributing, all of these 305 00:16:34,900 --> 00:16:38,841 lucky, lucky people that have seen pine martens. It really is 306 00:16:39,221 --> 00:16:42,544 allowing us to get a much bigger, fuller picture of how 307 00:16:42,624 --> 00:16:45,226 well martens are recovering across Britain. 308 00:16:45,226 --> 00:16:48,209 DAN ICETON: It is lovely to see that positive success story. 309 00:16:48,209 --> 00:16:51,252 Does it look like they're moving through Northumberland much? 310 00:16:51,252 --> 00:16:53,013 STEPHANIE JOHNSTONE: Yes you'll be pleased to know they're 311 00:16:53,033 --> 00:16:54,094 definitely on the way. 312 00:16:54,835 --> 00:16:56,356 DAN ICETON: Don't worry i'll give you a call as soon as we 313 00:16:56,396 --> 00:16:57,297 see them. 314 00:16:57,297 --> 00:17:00,640 STEPHANIE JOHNSTONE: Please do. 315 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:02,642 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Feeling inspired and hopeful, Dan 316 00:17:02,702 --> 00:17:06,105 reflects on what pine martens' recovery means for biodiversity 317 00:17:06,965 --> 00:17:09,547 and what it'll be like for him to come into work one day and 318 00:17:09,627 --> 00:17:11,788 find that pine martens have arrived. 319 00:17:14,731 --> 00:17:17,693 DAN ICETON: It's really exciting that they're not too far away 320 00:17:18,133 --> 00:17:21,275 and hopefully we'll be seeing them here soon. But I think the 321 00:17:21,315 --> 00:17:25,058 biggest thing is going to be the biodiversity increase that we'll 322 00:17:25,138 --> 00:17:28,200 see here at Wallington and across Northumberland and the 323 00:17:28,220 --> 00:17:29,221 rest of the country really. 324 00:17:29,721 --> 00:17:32,803 The positive for woodland ecology that we're going to see 325 00:17:32,944 --> 00:17:36,121 with these predators coming down is going to make such a 326 00:17:36,161 --> 00:17:40,423 difference to our woodlands. No, selfishly, I just really want to 327 00:17:40,443 --> 00:17:44,884 see them. I can't wait to see a pine marten. I'm just having 328 00:17:44,924 --> 00:17:47,365 thoughts of walking out of my office into the woods and just 329 00:17:47,385 --> 00:17:49,746 having a pine marten there. And that's my dream. 330 00:18:03,305 --> 00:18:04,906 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Thanks for listening to this episode of 331 00:18:04,926 --> 00:18:08,289 Wild Tales. If you want to find out more about Pine Martins 332 00:18:08,309 --> 00:18:11,212 citizen science and reporter sighting, please head to 333 00:18:11,272 --> 00:18:15,215 pinemartens.uk. We'll of course keep you updated when Dan sees 334 00:18:15,235 --> 00:18:18,958 his pine martens arrive at Wallington. And do join us over 335 00:18:18,959 --> 00:18:24,823 on Instagram, @wildtalesnt. See you next time. [ 336 00:18:24,823 --> 00:18:33,157 Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor. Your outside 337 00:18:33,197 --> 00:18:37,579 retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick breathers, 338 00:18:37,579 --> 00:18:41,640 calming walks or heart-pounding hikes we feel better when we get 339 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:47,882 out more. Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom plus 340 00:18:48,242 --> 00:18:52,103 National Trust supporters get 15% off walking kit in store and 341 00:18:52,163 --> 00:18:56,244 online. 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