We are delighted that Grindle, a Pine Martin released in South Cumbria in 2025, has travelled north and made his home in north Thirlmere, including Brackenrigg.
These delightful tree loving animals are part of the musculid family that include otters, stoats and weasels. They eat a variety of berries, nuts and small mammals such as mice, voles and screws. They have also been found to predate grey squirrels. Current research suggests that they do not predate red squirrels and in areas where there are greys, numbers have declined upon introduction the Pine Martin, whilst red squirrels numbers have started to recover.
We are very excited to welcome this beautiful animal into our gardens. We habitually see him at night on the feeders at the back of the cottages, and house, and in the woodland. But he is nocturnal…so we have set up camera traps where we have seen him.
Brackenrigg’s mix of woodland, open shrubby pasture and a wildlife pond have apparently given a perfect habitat for this creature.
