Pine Marten at Sax-Zim Bog

A Pine Marten frequents one of the many bird feeders at Sax-Zim bog. I was lucky enough to get a 5 min performance when I was there recently. This is one of the most photogenic mammal species in North America IMO. The last image is my favorite.

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …737876715/in/ph​otostream/

R7002573 Pine Marten

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …737831082/in/ph​otostream/

R7002557 Pine Marten

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …2748011854/in/d​ateposted/

R7002615 Pine Marten

downhillonwater wrote in post #19493281
A Pine Marten frequents one of the many bird feeders at Sax-Zim bog. I was lucky enough to get a 5 min performance when I was there recently. This is one of the most photogenic mammal species in North America IMO. The last image is my favorite.

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …737876715/in/ph​otostream/
R7002573 Pine Marten] by Steve King on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …737831082/in/ph​otostream/
R7002557 Pine Marten] by Steve King on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …2748011854/in/d​ateposted/
R7002615 Pine Marten] by Steve King on Flickr

Just amazing! Thanks for sharing

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Superlative images!

I know that folks see a Pine Marten from time to time at the Bog, but I never thought that such clean images were possible, so I never spent much time waiting at the place where he comes out. . I had improperly assumed that he always stayed near the brush and never came out into the open when humans were nearby, and that nice images with no background distractions were not possible. . But you have shown that my thoughts were total misconceptions and that he does indeed come out into the open and away from the messy vegetation, and you got far better photos than I thought were ever possible. . Congrats!

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Why are you shooting at such a high shutter speed and wide open? Slowing the speed and stopping down the lens would have enabled much greater depth of field.

An old friend of mine has a cabin near Sax-Zim, Tom, and he routinely gets great shots of this marten. It's not a rare occurrence, apparently.

@Tom, It was quite fortunate. I was concentrating on getting chickadees in flight dropping down to the feeder and suddenly the marten was there. I was shooting from the car and it completely ignored me.

@cdmoose, Agree that I should have stopped down. The animal moves around very quickly (!!!!) and I was composing as fast as I could with the same lens and settings for the chickadees.

downhillonwater wrote in post #19493438
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I was shooting from the car and it completely ignored me.
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Do you think that if you had been out of the car, kneeling or lying prone on the snow for a lower angle, that it would have acted as it did? . Or do you think that would have caused it to be more skittish and stay back closer to the messy looking twigs and branches?


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Don't know anything about the habits of this species. Kneeling on the road in front of the feeder would be another possibility to get a little lower. As you know, it's quite isolated and most traffic is actually other photographers.it was below zero that morning...i was pretty content in the car.

Pine Marten have to be one of the most approachable mammal species that there is. We have had them on our property a couple times, as have neighbors, and they just go about their business, unconcerned by any human activity. And, with all the birders in Sax-Zim Bog, this particular individual is quite habituated, from what I understand.

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I have been told that if people are standing outside of their cars, by the feeder, waiting for it, that it will not come out clear of the brush. . In fact, some folks were pretty frustrated that others were standing outside of their cars, and blamed that for not seeing the Marten while they waited. . I saw that pics that others had gotten of it from within their cars, and had no interest in such photos. . Downhillonwater's photos posted here are the only ones I have seen of this Marten that were taken from a vehicle this year that are nice and free of distracting branches and brush.

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downhillonwater wrote in post #19493281
A Pine Marten frequents one of the many bird feeders at Sax-Zim bog. I was lucky enough to get a 5 min performance when I was there recently. This is one of the most photogenic mammal species in North America IMO. The last image is my favorite.

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …737876715/in/ph​otostream/
R7002573 Pine Marten] by Steve King on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …737831082/in/ph​otostream/
R7002557 Pine Marten] by Steve King on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …2748011854/in/d​ateposted/
R7002615 Pine Marten] by Steve King on Flickr

Excellent captures!