The pine marten

Despite its cute looks the pine marten (Martes martes) is a fierce predator. As the pine martens are predominantly living in trees, they are exceptional climping and jumping experts. During the day they spend most of their time in their nests in tree holes. During dusk and at night they are busy foraging. Thereby they can make large journeys from up to 5 to 7 km and back again. Pine martens are wide spread across Europe, but they need large and well-connected woodlands for their wanderings which are becoming rare.

Pine martens are shy forest dwellers and extremly difficult to observe in the wild. Most of the time they can only be detected indirectly by investigating their marks. The pine marten is an important species for conservation, contributing to the balance of woodland ecosystems. However, conflicts between humans and pine martens are increasing: in search of shelter, they enter attics or cause damage to cars, leading to negative perceptions of this protected species. Effective wildlife conservation therefore relies on education, habitat protection, and humane deterrent methods. This is the only way to ensure long-term coexistence between humans and pine martens while preserving biodiversity in our forests. 
Personally, I have not yet seen a pine marten in the wild. I created this drawing after a discussion on the protection of this beautiful animal species.

Dimensions & medium:
Medium: Faber Castell polychromos
Paper: Lobome mixed medium
Size: A5 (5.8 in x 8.3 in)