Making a Unique Pine Marten Nest Box 

Thanks Ken! It is a sturdy one. I will definitely set up a cam on it for sure. I'd be ecstatic to catch a nesting female on camera!

Thanks! Will definitely want to set up a cam on this one for sure. Have a great week!

Thank you! Yes, that is the design that I'm most familiar with too. I plan to put a trail camera on it to see if they use it. Jen.

Thanks Wallace. I hope the marten's see it as the Hilton of all marten boxes!

+errk25 That's a wonderful story! I saw my first one in British Columbia, Canada.

You should make one. It is a fun rainy/snowy day project. I don't think I'll be cleaning this one out. It will be too high up the tree for me to easily access it and too deep in the bush. I think the marten toilet on the top of the lid and elsewhere. From my experience with other mammal boxes, they will vacate when the fleas get too bad. Also I've seen other mammals drag stuff in and out of these types of boxes on their own. It is a learning experience for me so I'll have to find out.

Hey Doug. I will secure it once I'm done painting. It is pretty snug but I agree if we get a good wind storm, off she goes. I may put a latch so I can pop it open if I want after of the denning season. Congrats on the wood ducks. That's one of my next projects is to get some set up on the bay near my cabin.

The wood ducks are welcome guests here on the farm in SW Ont. every spring. I mark the calendar for April 2nd. I know you probably won't believe me but they have been coming back every year for 5 or 6 years. They arrive on, or 1 day after, the 2nd of April. Strange but true. I like to have a little smoked duck now and then, but lost all appetite for wood duck. HaHaHa KIT d

I totally believe you. I have a female moose that goes past a particular path on my property and I get her on the trail cam on the same week every year. I guess everything is a creature of habit. I know what you mean about the loss of appetite. I once kept a shrimp colony and couldn't eat shrimp while I had them. I got grossed out to eat the store bought shrimp. Well, now the pet shrimp got old and were gathered to their ancestors so I'm back on with the shrimp cocktails. LOL.

+DriveShaft Drew Sure am. Thanks Drew!

+Robert You're brave hand feeding them. They can be ferocious! Yes. I was thinking of putting some fish carcasses nearby to feed the females and draw them in. Thanks for watching and sharing your story Robert. Have a great week.

I would not leave but a small meal as bait, as you do not want them to fight over the find, right near the box. That's why I thought only one herring would be about the right size. Any fatty meat should do. Might want to hide it from the birds. As far as me being brave, I think the marten was braver. After that night, when I heard them fight over the trash. I heard one the next night, on the fiberglass flooring of the porch, as it's claws made that clickety click sound on that kind of surface. It was dark, and with my head lamp (didn't faze it at all, it's eyes reflected the light), I seen it go by the sliding glass door. So I slowly opened the door just a bit, and with some salami I got from the fridge, I poked the meat out the door to see if it would come for it. It did, but I did not hold it then. I just flipped a small piece of the salami (the hard kind) just outside the door. It took it and ran away. The next night, I held it there, and it took it from my hand, with the softest tug. And off it went. Again the next night, the same, but the door was open more. And then, I did not put it out the door and it came in with just its head, taking it softly. For a few nights this happened, and then I got it to come in completely, take the salami, and it would back out slowly after getting the prize, and off it would go. I did this a few times, and it would stay for another piece and then three pieces... and then chicken out and run off. I had it inside about 3 or 4 lengths of it's body ...a few times. Well, one night I thought, "Let's see what happens, if I don't just give it freely", and it pulled hard. So hard it slid the rug out from under it, and it freaked. I felt kinda bad about that, but it did come back, and we had an understanding, You offer, you give freely! You know, it was about this time of year, ( I remember the snow was melting fast) and I did not see it again. Probably was off having pups? Hope I didn't rattle on too much.

+klnaraa74 NATURE/ART CHANNEL Thank you!

There isn't a Canadian alive that pronounces it aboot! I have no idea where that one came from.......eh? ;)

Ha ha...thanks...will do! A few actual Canadianisms around my area are to say "G'day' for good day (as a greeting when you see someone. ) and saying 'prit'near' for pretty near or almost. This is as in..."My car was prit near buried in all that snow we got the other day." Also a case of beer is called a 2-4.

as is the May long weekend up here :) I.e. May 2-4 weekend, which oddly enough only rarely lands on the 24th lol

I know eh!

It is going to be nice and warm. I don't think that birds will be able to access the openings though. I hope the pine martens think of it as the Hilton of the forest.

The marten are depleted from our area too. I havent checked the box this year. They could be nesting now if around. I bought marten lure so maybe I can attract them in. We have lots of huge white and red pines. Just not a lot of old growth forest that they prefer.

Thanks Del. This pretty much excludes birds, I don't think they will be able to access it. Maybe the odd red squirrel or flying squirrel may take up residence. I'll put a trail cam on it and see what happens.

Thanks Terry! I'll do my best. It's going to be a beast to crane up the tree. LOL. I might put the trail cam at the base of the tree to see what goes up and down and uses it.

Thank you Rendezvous. It was fun to make too.

For sure! It is important to leave some standing dead for animal nesting possibilities. Thanks for watching. Have a great week.

Stand Sure Homesteading she's very pretty either way

No argument there John :)

The bandsaw is an oldie but a goodie. My husband did some minor tune ups on it and it goes OK. With the 3/4 ply it will keep the babies a lot warmer if mom is off finding food. It is a dog to carry around for sure and I will have to get creative to hoist that bad boy up the tree. LOL. Yes, I just got the official news that I have 20/20 vision in each eye!

Thanks Edward! I hope they like it!

Thanks very much. I'll be excited if they use the box too!

Thanks! It is actually for the mammal, the pine marten. They nest in tree cavities. I thought I would make this to see if they would use it too.

TheWildYam I'm sure they will make use of it! Thanks for replying!

Thanks Joe! Yes, I would love to get some trail cam footage on this one. I'm going to have fun hoisting this one up the tree. Maybe I'll set the camera near the base of the tree to catch the action of the martens as they go up and down the tree.

untouched wilderness (for the most part) that belongs to the country (Technically the Queen, but who cares about her anyways)and can not be bought or used for development. Basically National parks, or conservation areas that will pretty much always stay as they are. I would love to find some property that backs on to crown land. Guaranteed no neighbors! :)

SSH, thank you for the info.

Thanks Michael! Yes, Colin is correct in what our Crown Land is here in Canada. It is so nice to have this area around us. Have a great week.