On my recent trip to Colorado I was reminded at the wonders of nature. Just when you think you’ve got nature figured out, she taps you on the shoulder and whispers something new in your ear.
I was fortunate enough to be high up in the Colorado mountains photographing moose recently. Big bull moose and bears have become some of my favorite critters to photograph. The sheer size and beauty of these animals is always thrilling.
One afternoon while taking a break from photographing the moose, I decided to follow up on a report of some pine martens (Martes americana) hanging around a local campground. I’m often told about locations of different critters while I am on location. Often I check them out and nothing comes of the lead, but I always think there is a chance so I give it a try. I headed over to the campground thinking there was a small — and I mean very small — chance of finding these martens. I grabbed my tripod and long lens and started walking up and down the roads of the campground.
It didn’t take long before I spotted a marten at the base of a tree jumping around. I couldn’t believe it. Right in the middle of the day was this cute, fuzzy marten hunting. Pine martens, also called American martens, are members of the weasel family. Closely related to mink, fishers and otters. They are slightly larger than a gray squirrel with a similar long busy tail. They are excellent tree climbers, which helps because a big part of their diet are squirrels. They are well known to take over a squirrel’s home after killing and eating the occupant.
I started following this marten around as it made its rounds through each campsite. It was obvious he was looking for something to eat. It would start at the fire ring in each campsite looking for scraps of food left by the campers. Then it did something very interesting. The marten found an apple core. I am sure some camper finished eating an apple and tossed the core into the woods next to their campsite. And this marten found it.
The marten grabbed the apple core as if it just found the best meal of its life. Quickly the marten carried the apple core to the base of a tree and started to consume it with all the gusto of a starving sailor stranded at sea. Each bite was savored as he chowed down. Even the tiny bits of apple that fell to the forest floor were quickly snatched up and eaten. There was no doubt he was enjoying this apple.
I was completely amazed. Everything I know about members of the weasel family says that they are carnivores. Eating meat is what they do. Then shortly after this, as I was walking through another campsite the campers asked me what kind of animal that was. I told them it was a marten and they told me this fuzzy guy was in their camp yesterday and stole an entire banana off their picnic table and ate it. Wow, here we go again, a carnivore eating fruits. What’s up with this?
After capturing some candid moments with this marten I found a second marten just down from the first. I followed this marten for a while trying to capture a few images. Afterward, when I had a chance to sit down and do some additional research, I found that the vast majority of information about martens and other members of the weasel family said exactly what I had thought, that they are mainly carnivores. Eating meat! However, I did eventually find a few references to eating a large amount of fruits. I think this experience just shows once again that there is so much more to nature. Until next time…
Stan Tekiela is an author/naturalist and wildlife photographer from Victoria who travels the United States to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed at facebook.com or twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
