Pine marten spotted in Mullingar residential area

If there was one positive to take out of the recent lockdown, it was the fact that more of our urban wildlife got the freedom to enjoy quieter streets in our towns and villages.

While there were tales of families of foxes playing in the streets of Dublin, closer to home one Lakepoint resident spotted the elusive pine marten just last week.

Since its reintroduction to rural Ireland, the pine marten has been plagued with gory tales of killing sprees in hen houses.

As it is a protected species however, there is little action a small-holder can take in such instances.

There are positives to the pine marten’s return however. Research carried out by Belfast’s Queen's University suggests the pine marten predates on the invasive grey squirrel as opposed to our native red.

Greater in numbers, the grey squirrel provides a richer source of food for the pine marten, and as the red evolved naturally with the European pine marten, it is said to be more attuned to the threat the pine marten poses - namely their uncanny ability to squeeze into all manner of tight spaces.

And so, the pine marten has thus been credited for the recent decline in numbers of the grey squirrel across both Ireland and the UK.

The sight of one in a Lakepoint back garden is a rare one however, given the mammals shy by nature.

With retractable claws, the pine marten is adept at climbing trees, and needs a forest or scrub habitat to exist in an area.

In Lakepoint, just over 2km from Mullingar’s town centre, the sight of one of Ireland’s rarest mammals, once hunted almost to the point of extinction for its fur, is a rare and beautiful sight indeed.