Pine marten on a tree branch SCOTLAND TOUCHING images of two adorable British pine martens show one of them affectionately showering its mate with kis
Pine marten on a tree branch SCOTLAND TOUCHING images of two adorable British pine martens show one of them affectionately showering its mate with kisses. Captured on the west coast of Scotland on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, these snaps show pine martens frolicking in the wilderness. In the wild, a pine marten can live up to 11 years of age, however, their average lifespan is just three to four years. These pictures took five days to patiently capture by a 69-year-old Scottish wildlife photographer, Ron McCombe, from a distance of 16 feet with a Canon 1DX camera and Canon 600mm f4 prime lens fixed upon a Gitzo tripod. ?Just to be near these animals was a thrill,? he said. ?We waited all day, every day, for five days to capture them. The pine martens would appear intermittently during each day. ?They are the cutest and one of the rarest mammals we have in the UK. They are absolutely vicious and will fight with other Martens to the death. ?Although the pine martens are widespread in Scotland, these lovely creatures are critically endangered in England and Wales because of persecution and deforestation, leading their population to decline ENDS
Size: 3676px × 4800px
Photo credit: © Media Drum World / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: animal, british, marten, martens, photography, pine, rare, scotland, uk, wild, wildlife
