Simone Heinrich is always excited when she has a chance encounter with a pine marten. 

Pine martens—or American martens, as they’re officially known—are members of the weasel family. They’re known for their quickness and agility, which, as Simone will testify, makes them hard to photograph.

“I’ve spotted them quite a few times over the years, but usually by the time I get my camera out, they vanish,” she said.

To get a photograph of this individual, Heinrich had to have her camera and 600 mm lens at the ready. She was in her vehicle, camera equipment on the passenger seat beside her, with the shutter speed locked on a fairly fast setting (1/640). She would have had the shutter speed set even faster—critical for capturing wildlife on the move—but the sun was starting to set.

“Luckily the marten posed a few times, just long enough so I could get a shot of him,” she said.

Heinrich snapped a few shots of the marten running in and out of the bushes and hopping on a tree before it disappeared.

Martens are common in the montane and lower subalpine forest, and they’re active day and night. They usually get to about 60 cm long, and are differentiated from other members of the weasel family by its large ears and pale coloration, according to naturalist Ben Gadd.

In the Rockies, their coats are often reddish brown, with charcoal smudges on the legs and on the very bushy tail. There is no drastic colour change in the winter, which is fine by Heinrich—it makes them easier to spot.  

“I think pine martens are some of the cutest little critters out there,” she said. “I just love their little faces.”

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com