You've probably seen them. Those viral pictures of pine martens where they look like cuddly, oversized kittens with teddy bear ears and inquisitive little eyes. It’s a bit of a trap. Honestly, if you’re looking at a photo of a pine marten (Martes martes) and thinking you’ve found the world’s most huggable forest spirit, you’re only getting half the story.
These things are ruthless.
They are members of the Mustelidae family, which basically means they’re cousins to wolverines and weasels. They have this chocolate-brown fur and a creamy-yellow bib that looks stunning in high-resolution photography, but behind that aesthetic is a high-octane predator that can take down a squirrel mid-air while navigating the thinnest branches of a Scots pine. Getting a good shot of one isn't just about having a fancy camera; it’s about understanding a ghost that moves through the canopy.
Why it's so hard to get authentic pictures of pine martens
Wildlife photography is mostly waiting. For pine martens, it's waiting in the dark, usually in a damp hide in the Scottish Highlands or a dense forest in Ireland. They are crepuscular, meaning they love the twilight, which is basically a nightmare for camera sensors.
Low light means noise. It means blur.
Most of the "perfect" shots you see on Instagram are taken at baited sites. Photographers often use peanut butter or jam—pine martens have a weirdly intense sweet tooth—to lure them onto a specific log where the light is hitting just right. There is a bit of a debate in the naturalist community about this. While it helps people see a creature that was once nearly extinct in the UK, it can lead to "trophy shots" that don't actually show natural behavior. You see a marten sitting still, looking at the lens, rather than one hunting voles or raiding a bird's nest.
If you want to see what they actually look like in the wild, look for the ragged ears. Older males, especially, often have nicks and scars from territorial disputes. A "clean" marten is often a young marten.
The gear reality
You don't need a $10,000 lens, but it helps. Seriously. Because they are small—about the size of a house cat but much slimmer—you need reach. A 400mm or 600mm focal length is standard. But more importantly, you need a high ISO capability. When the sun goes down and the marten finally emerges from its den (often an old squirrel drey or a hollow tree), your shutter speed needs to stay fast enough to freeze their erratic, twitchy movements.
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They don't sit still. Ever.
They are like caffeinated slinkies.
The comeback story: More than just a pretty face
For a long time, taking pictures of pine martens was almost impossible because there weren't any left to photograph. By the early 20th century, habitat loss and gamekeeping had pushed them to the absolute fringes of northwest Scotland. They were effectively gone from England and Wales.
But things changed.
The Vincent Weir Trust and organizations like Forestry and Land Scotland have done some incredible work. They’ve been translocated back into the Forest of Dean and parts of Wales. Now, we’re seeing "street photography" of pine martens in places they haven't been seen in a hundred years. This isn't just a win for biodiversity; it’s a win for the red squirrel.
Here is the cool part: research from the University of Aberdeen and Queen's University Belfast has shown that pine martens actually help red squirrels survive. How? By eating the invasive grey squirrels. Greys are heavier and spend more time on the ground, making them easy pickings for a marten. Reds are smaller, more agile, and can retreat to the tips of branches where a marten can't follow. When you see a photo of a pine marten in a lush, green forest, you’re often looking at the guardian of the red squirrel population.
Identifying the individual
Did you know the yellow "bib" or throat patch is unique? It’s like a fingerprint.
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- Look at the edges of the bib in various photos.
- Some have "islands" of brown fur inside the yellow.
- Others have jagged, lightning-bolt edges.
- Researchers use "camera traps" to identify individuals based on these patterns to track population growth without ever touching the animals.
Common misconceptions in marten photography
A lot of people confuse them with American martens or even minks. Mink are much darker, almost black when wet, and they stay near water. Pine martens are arboreal. If the picture shows a creature swimming in a lake, it’s probably not a pine marten. If it’s jumping between trees like a ninja, you’ve got the right animal.
Also, the size is deceptive. In photos, they look chunky. In reality, they are mostly fluff and muscle. A large male might only weigh about 1.5 kilograms. That’s less than a standard bag of flour. Their paws are massive relative to their body size, acting like snowshoes, which is a detail often lost in blurry or low-quality snapshots.
How to find them without a guide
You can't just walk into a woods and expect a photo op. You have to look for "scat." Pine marten droppings have a very specific characteristic: they smell like parma violets or damp hay. Most carnivore poop smells terrible, but the marten is oddly floral.
If you find twisted, dark scat on a prominent rock or a fallen log, you’re in their territory. They like to leave their mark in elevated places.
- Find a "scat trail" near coniferous or mixed woodlands.
- Look for "den trees"—older trees with cavities.
- Set up a trail cam if you have permission from the landowner.
- Be quiet. Ridiculously quiet.
The best pictures of pine martens come from people who are willing to sit in the dirt for six hours without checking their phones. The blue light from a screen is a giant "stay away" signal to a forest predator.
Ethical considerations for the modern photographer
We have to talk about the "Instagram effect." When a location becomes famous for marten sightings, people flock there. This can lead to over-baiting, which changes the animal's diet and makes them reliant on humans. It also makes them bold. A bold marten is a marten that gets hit by a car.
If you're out there trying to get your own shots, keep the distance. Use a long lens. Don't use flash at night; it's disorienting and frankly rude to a nocturnal hunter.
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Moving forward with your photography
If you are serious about seeing these animals, your best bet is to head to the Highlands, specifically around the Cairngorms or the west coast near Mull. There are dedicated hides you can rent where the animals are accustomed to the structure of the building, which minimizes stress.
To actually improve your results, focus on the eyes. Because their fur is so dark and their bib is so bright, cameras often struggle with the dynamic range. You’ll end up with a glowing white chest and a black blob for a head. Under-expose slightly. You can always bring up the shadows in post-processing, but you can’t recover "blown out" white fur on the throat.
Start by scouting locations in the late afternoon. Look for movement in the canopy. Sometimes, you won't see the marten, but you'll hear the birds alarming. Chaffinches and tits will go absolutely ballistic if a marten is nearby. Use the forest's own alarm system to find your subject.
Stop looking for the "perfect" shot and start looking for the story. A photo of a marten sniffing a lichen-covered branch tells us way more about their ecology than a photo of one eating a digestive biscuit on a porch.
Check local wildlife trust records for recent sightings in your area. If you're in the UK, the Mammal Society's "Mammal Mapper" app is a great tool for seeing where populations are expanding. Once you find a spot, commit to it. Visit the same patch of woods every day for a week. Learn the light. Learn the squirrels. Eventually, the marten will show up.
When it does, keep your finger off the burst mode for a second. Just look at it. They are truly one of the most spectacular sights in the northern hemisphere. Then, and only then, take the shot.