You rarely see martens, even if they live in the immediate vicinity, because martens are nocturnal. In the following you will find out why martens prefer to move at night and how you can still track them down.
Martens are mainly active at night and in the twilight
Why are martens nocturnal?
Although stone martens are often close to people and make themselves comfortable in stables or attics, the predators are very shy. Although they like man-made comforts such as insulating materials or hay, they do not want to meet their innkeeper. But that is only one reason for a night activity. The main reason is probably that there are fewer enemies at night. Yes, even martens have enemies. This includes:
- eagles and other birds of prey
- foxes
- wolves
- bears
What do martens do at night?
Martens do all their activities at dusk or at night. This includes:
- foraging and ingestion
- nest building (in March)
- Mating (during summer mating season)
- Play and education of the young from June to August
If you have a marten on the roof or in the barn or garage, you will feel their presence, especially in summer. On the one hand, the offspring loudly leave the nest at this time and begin to become independent; on the other hand, male martens are particularly aggressive during the mating season and cause more damage, e.g. in cars.
Nocturnal noises on the roof
You won't see martens, but you will certainly hear them: scratching and rumbling noises give an idea of their presence. Scratch marks on the gutter and windows also indicate an intruder. However, it could also be a raccoon or dormouse.
expel martens
In most federal states, martens can only be hunted with a hunting license - and under no circumstances during the closed season. However, you can drive away martens with simple means:
- Close all accesses; if there is already a marten in the attic, give it an exit but no entry.
- Drive him away with enemy pet urine, available at specialty stores.
- Keep him away with used cat litter or better yet a real cat.
tips
Find out more tips, tricks and methods to drive away martens here.