Marvellous mustelids

Martes martes with Meles meles as an extra.

This is a wild Pine Marten and the photo is not cropped (though admittedly at 300mm.)

I would like you all to think I am a genius but I have to confess we went to a hide stocked with peanuts and peanut butter! And we had astonishing luck in managing to get the hide and guide to ourselves as no-one else had booked.

Absolutely fantastic evening and well worth the late night. Neither of us had seen Pine Martens before and tonight we saw four separate ones, six Badgers all at once, Red and Roe Deer, a wee Wood Mouse and a bonus Brown Hare. The martens were even cuter than I had imagined and were brilliant fun, frolicking about. Stunningly beautiful animals.  Both they and the Badgers came so close that without the glass there I could have reached out and stroked them.  Amazing.