A preliminary investigation of the food and feeding behaviour of pine martens Martes martes in productive forestry from an analysis of the contents of their scats collected in Inchnacardoc forest, Fort Augustus

摘要

The contents of 313 fresh pine marten (Martes martes) scats found in productive forestry at Inchnacardoch, near Fort Augustus in the Scottish Highlands, were investigated. These provided an indication of the diet of pine martens that occupy this typeof environment. The species composition of this diet also indicates some of the feeding strategies that are adopted by pine martens. The diet was very varied and included small mammals, large mammal carrion, birds, insects and fruits. The frequency of records of species found in the scats was used to consider the relative importance of the food categories to pine martens. Small mammals were consistently important, large mammal carrion, fruits and insects were seasonally important, while birds were eatenat all times of year but were not a major part of the diet. Although appearing to be opportunist feeders, pine martens are shown to have very strong food preferences. Of the small mammals eaten, 94% were field voles (Microtus agrestis). Insect species were also selectively eaten; large generalist beetles (eg Geotrupes stercorosus and Carabus spp.) were frequent in the diet and swarming species of beetle (Serica brunnea) and Hymenoptcra (Vespula vulgaris and Bombus spp.) were eaten in large numbers whenencountered. Many species recorded in the scats indicate that pine martens forage on the ground in glade areas of the forest at, or near, nighttime. It is suggested that the pine martens in this study adopt a feeding strategy of searching for a food resource and then concentrate on this rather than foraging randomly. Their choice of potential food is very wide but feeding behaviour appears to be specialised, exploiting an abundant resource when it is discovered. Palatability and accessibility may account for the specialisation within food categories. Whether this strategy is habitual or demonstrates gorging behaviour was not investigated. It is possible to suggest that varying forest structure during silvicultural management might vary the local availability of pine marten food, and perhaps their overall population densities.