We still had two feet of snow on the ground  but warmer temperatures and rain generated a very foggy morning. When I woke, I looked out the window and saw an American (pine) marten standing perfectly still watching the bird feeder. I hardly ever see a member of the weasel family standing still for long so I knew something exciting was about to happen. I grabbed my camera and got into position by the deck. 

That’s when I noticed the red squirrel under the feeder. When the marten made its move, it went by me in a flash. It covered about forty feet in a couple of seconds and got within ten feet of the squirrel before the squirrel noticed. I thought the squirrel was toast. I don’t think I have seen a squirrel move so fast. The marten was gaining but the squirrel dove into one of its snow tunnel’s. With the hard crust covered snow it was too difficult for the marten to get in. When the squirrel came out the other end they both raced behind the garage and I thought, “Well I won’t know how this comes out”. 

Somehow the squirrel got under the snow again and doubled back. It came out of a hollow log we have in our flower garden with the marten right on its tail. It raced back to the pine tree that the feeder was in. When it hit the base of the tree the marten was less than a foot behind the squirrel. Both went up the tree in a flash. All this is happening so fast that I didn’t get very many photos but it was sure exciting to witness the action. 

Neither one was interested in me as they sprinted up the tree at an incredible speed. Going through the branches the smaller squirrel was widening the distance between them. The marten was just after breakfast. The red squirrel was in a race for its life! 

When they got near the top the squirrel jumped to the nearby spruce. The marten just dropped to a lower branch on the spruce. By now the squirrel was back on the ground and got into a snow-covered brush pile that was left from cutting up a blowdown last fall. 

The marten goes in after it. I’m thinking I will see the marten immerge with the squirrel in its mouth. Didn’t happen. The marten came back out the top empty handed. Back in it goes again. The marten goes in and out about four times. Nothing. 

The marten starts walking around the pile and sniffing the snow. It stops in one spot at the edge of the pile and scratches in the snow. When it is done scratching it runs back into the pile. This happened for another half a dozen times. The marten could smell that the squirrel was in there but his scratching wasn’t making the squirrel leave its secure hiding spot. The squirrel must have been in thick enough branches and snow tunnels that the marten couldn’t squeeze through. 

The marten finally gave up and moved on to find easier prey. In about 15 minutes the squirrel was back in the exact same spot but looking a little nervous.

I don’t know what a marten’s success rate is in catching red squirrels but this is the third time I have witnessed martens chasing squirrels and have yet to see them catch one. I couldn’t believe my good fortune though to look out the window at the right time and be able to witness and photograph the chase.  

Paul Sundberg