Monday, May 17, 2010

On our hike today...

Hiking adventures continued today when we came upon this cute little creature.
flickerCC

With his brown fur, round ears and sweet facial expression, there was no doubt what he was. Plus he climbed a Red Pine and sat on a branch and "whirred" at us. He sounded like a grocery cart with a squeaky wheel. Give up?

This is a Pine Marten! I don't know if they are prevalent in the States.They have semi-retractable claws to help them climb better, and thick foot pads to lift them out of the snow. Mature conifer forest is their preferred habitat.They are normally very shy and hang out alone. I haven't seen very many, so I was thrilled to be given this opportunity to exchange greetings. I'm pretty sure I understood what he was saying too.

23 comments:

Alissa Grosso said...

What a cute critter, have to say I've never seen one before, though since I'm living in suburban New Jersey, wildlife sightings are limited. Though in the past week I did see a deer walk across a crosswalk (very law abiding deer here in NJ!) and a fox across the road who had a brief staring contest, neither one seemed to know what to make of each other.

Alissa Grosso said...

I am horrible at proofreading, that should read a fox who had a brief staring contest with my dog - that makes more sense!

Laura Pauling said...

I've never heard of a pine martin. Interesting. Great pix.

Jonathon Arntson said...

I like Canadians and their creatures.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

He's adorable! We get martins here in NC, too.

Susan Fields said...

I never would have guessed that - I've never even heard of a Pine Marten. What an adorable little creature!

Marcia said...

I've heard of a pine marten, but didn't know what it was. It's cute, though!

Shannon Messenger said...

OMG-what an adorable little creature. Never heard of a pine Marten before, but I kinda want one now. :)

Sage Ravenwood said...

The first I've heard of a Pine Marten. Beautifully sleek creature. (Hugs)Indigo

Kelly Polark said...

What a fantastic shot!
I've never seen a pine marten before. He's a cutie!

Unknown said...

What a little darling. I love these wildlife pics!

Cynthia Chapman Willis said...

He is adorable! And what a wonderful photo. We definitely don't have any little guys like him around my area of New Jersey (sadly). Thanks for sharing him!

Unknown said...

Wow what a cutie!! I've never seen anything like it but I'm definitely a fan! I'd love to see that on my hikes!

Anonymous said...

Great photo! I've had one pine marten sighting in my life. It was very brief. Two pine martens ran across a snowy road in the dark when I was out on a walk.

Jemi Fraser said...

I haven't seen one yet, although they supposedly live in my area too. I'm just way too loud in the bush :)

Ann Marie Wraight said...

Gorgeous piccy! We also live in the mountains so see all kinds of things here!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

I have never ever even heard of them! How cute! Is he related to a ferret?
Weasel?

Rena Jones said...

So cute! We have them here too, but I have yet to see one around where I live. The last one I saw was either in Yellowstone or Teton. GREAT picture!

Anonymous said...

A pime marten? Never heard or seen one before. But its pretty cool looking creaure. Does it belong to the weasel family?

Stephen Tremp

Anonymous said...

It is soooo cute! I never heard of this critter before, thanks for educating me!

PJ Hoover said...

OMG, he's darling!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Where did you get the picture of my landlord? Just joking. I love to visit your blog, Roland

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I think marten's are the most adorable little buggers! Too cute for words! :-)