Posing for the camera
SCOTLAND ADORABLE images show a camera-loving Pine Marten on sentry duty at his favourite perch in the Ardnamurchan peninsula, a remote part of the west coast of Scotland.
In every image, this cute pine marten could be seen directly looking at the camera as if loving the attention.
Historically, Pine Marten was Britain's second most common carnivore.
Their numbers declined dramatically during the 19th and early 20th centuries due to the combined impact of continued habitat loss and increase in predator control associated with the growth in Victorian game shooting estates.
Their population was once near extinction, and the species was put on the critically endangered list.
However, because of legal protection and conservation efforts, their numbers started to increase, with over 4,000 individuals now living in Scotland.
They still need all the help we can give them, and ongoing reintroduction projects like the Vincent Wildlife Trust's Pine Marten Recovery Project are doing just that.
Alastair Marsh, a British wildlife photographer from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, took these images.
“I’ve been fascinated by Pine Martens and have travelled to many parts of Scotland, including the Cairngorms, Oban, the Black Isle, Blairgowrie, and back to Ardnamurchan repeatedly, to see them,” he told mediadrumworld.com.
“I get such a buzz from seeing them, and it has now developed into a passion.
“I look forward to my annual 'pilgrimage' to Scotland to photograph Pine Marten every year.
“They're considered one of the most elusive mammals to see in the UK, so obviously, I'm eager with anticipation when I get my first glimpse and ecstatic when everything comes together and I can photograph them.
“They have a playful nature, adorable faces and expressions, are incredibly agile, and are stunning. I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing them.”
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