Pine Marten's, Spike Island Cork.

chillin117

Recently I was on Spike Island and saw lots of scats (and traces of older one's) on top of the wall and on a high grave at the old cemetery. I had a look online and saw Pine martens scent mark their patch this way. I took a few pic's but cant post them here yet as I only joined boards today. Would Pine Martens be on Spike ? What I saw would suggest a healthy population of whatever left them. Scats were a heart type shape and curled, around the size of a yo-yo. Any Idea's ? Thank You

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The environment there is wrong for PM. I suspect Mink.

42inchchest

Took a walk around it one day during spring. There were hundreds of pheasants. The whole way around the island we were putting them out just walking in the long grass.

Capercaillie

42inchchest wrote: »

Took a walk around it one day during spring. There were hundreds of pheasants. The whole way around the island we were putting them out just walking in the long grass.

Wil compete negatively with native birds at such densities.

42inchchest

We did say at the time that the island could do with a fox or two😊

Capercaillie

42inchchest wrote: »

We did say at the time that the island could do with a fox or two😊

Might not be great either depending on what species breed on Island. Getting the pheasants all removed would be the best approach. Getting rid of mink a must.

Keplar240B

Spike!
100 acres
What type of fauna and flora is there?
why don't they plant more forestry there?
Does anyone live there?
Are pine martins common in cork can they swim?
what are those buildings outside the fort/prison?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Keplar240B wrote: »

Spike!
100 acres
What type of fauna and flora is there?
why don't they plant more forestry there?
Does anyone live there?
Are pine martins common in cork can they swim?
what are those buildings outside the fort/prison?

Wow, so many questions!

Plenty of wild grasses and flowers, ground nesting birds, seals....

Why plant forestry when the rock doesn't suit it? Plenty of valuable habitats apart from forest.
Not sure if anybody lives there now but they did in the past.
Most animals can swim. They are not that common anywhere but are certainly found in Co. Cork
Buildings are visitor center, former homes etc.

Give it a google.

chillin117

Here's some pic's from Spike Island of scat on walls all over the island. You can see from the state of the walls how common it is. Comments welcome

Bonedigger

chillin117 wrote: »

Here's some pic's from Spike Island of scat on walls all over the island. You can see from the state of the walls how common it is. Comments welcome

The scat looks quite small and am just wondering if it might be Stoat scat perhaps?
Are there rabbits on the island by any chance?

chillin117

Bonedigger wrote: »

The scat looks quite small and am just wondering if it might be Stoat scat perhaps?
Are there rabbits on the island by any chance?

The scat was about the size of a yoyo. Did not see evidence of rabbits but I am sure there are a few rabbits there. Why do you ask ?

Bonedigger

chillin117 wrote: »

The scat was about the size of a yoyo. Did not see evidence of rabbits but I am sure there are a few rabbits there. Why do you ask ?

Rabbits would be a staple of the stoat diet, so where you have rabbits you're likely to have stoats about too. I've been walking the land about my home for forty years and had never seen a stoat, but last year I found two dead stoat kits by a hedgerow, so chances are they were always here but just wasn't lucky enough to see them.

tisgrand

It doesn't look like mammal scat to me. More like the big jobbies waterfowl or maybe gulls(???) leave behind?