Pine martens once again spotted in Shropshire

In the past couple of weeks there have been sightings of pine martens, much to the excitement of a champion of the small mammals.

One appears to have made a 50mile trek from Gloucestershire to the Ludlow area where it has been caught on camera.

Another has been spotted close to Pontesbury and Stuart Edmunds, from Shropshire Wildlife Trust, believes the animals, which are the size of a small cat, may have been expanding their territory and trying to find a mate.

Up until a few years ago it had been thought the pine marten was on the brink of extinction. But thanks to the work of Stuart and other like him around the country they appear to be gaining a foothold.

"It is good, positive news that we have had sightings of pine martens in Shropshire in recent weeks," said Stuart.

"We believe one has come from as far away as Gloucester from a group that have recently been released. It has probably travelled around 50 miles and we realise we have been very lucky to pick it up on a camera trap. It appears to be not too far from an established group of pine martens that we have near to Ludlow.

"The population in Clun was formed in 2015 and we know they are established. We have around 13 animals there are they have been caught on different camera traps but we do need a much bigger population so they can breed. We have a sustaining population and that is looking positive.

"The sighting in Pontesbury was from a few weeks ago and we are appealing for anyone with any other sightings to get in touch. This time of year is a good time to spot them as foliage is dropping and they are making their way around the forests at dawn and dusk. We do not expect to see them in young forests but this shows they are fairly adaptable."

In England, pine martens are extremely rare, and long considered probably extinct. In July 2015, the first confirmed sighting of a pine marten in England for over a century was recorded by an amateur photographer in woodland in Shropshire. A male was found in 2012 as road kill near Newtown, Powys. This was the first confirmation in Wales of the species, living or dead, since 1971.

Anyone who has seen a pine marten in Shropshire should contact Stuart on 01743 284277, email stuarte@shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk or go to Twitter @PinemartensUK