I really hadn’t appreciated that the collective name for a bunch of martens was a ‘richness’ until reading this book. And there are many individually-known Pine Martens that feature in this book, all living on the westernmost peninsula of Britain, on Ardnamurchan.
The book is an account of the behaviour of Craig, Clive, Chris, Chloe, Les and Freda and many more – two of those named are people who study Pine Martens visiting their garden, and now their house, and the rest are some of their Pine Marten visitors.
This is an engaging book which describes Pine Martens, the people who study Pine Martens, and the landscape, wildlfie and human social life of a remote part of Scotland. the author grew up in this area and that makes it seem a much more personal account. This book isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I found it intriguing and well worth the read. It’s well written, full of interesting facts and has some rather good photographs too.
A Richness of Martens by Polly Pullar is published by Birlinn.
Remarkable Birds by Mark Avery is published by Thames and Hudson – for reviews see here.
Inglorious: conflict in the uplands by Mark Avery is published by Bloomsbury – for reviews see here.
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Ardnamurchan is a unique and remote place. My car broke down there in the 1970s but I managed to telephone the breakdown service who warned me of the distance they would have to travel and remove my car with my wife and children as a large hole in the radiator could not be fixed at the roadside. I had a length of plumbers solder and a gas burner with me for a reason I cannot remember, but i sucked molten lead into the radiator. The car could only manage to do 20 miles after filling with water, but the West coast of Scotland is not without water, so we escaped. That may well lead me to purchase the book, as Ardnamurchan and pine martens are both important to me.
I hadn’t come across this book but based on your review Mark and what I have read elsewhere I have ordered it today. Sounds rather good.
That somebody called a pine marten Les definitely lifts my spirits..usually that under appreciated name is given to comic creations such as the dribbling assistant on Vic Reeves Big Night Out or the original corpulent, personal hygiene shy landlord on Men Behaving Badly. It is of course far more appropriate that it is now given to a beautiful, sleek wild animal.