Went for a little spin to break up the monotony of revision and saw a red squirrel (quite common round here) and then a young wildcat, which is extremely rare.

Then I snapped my chain and had to walk home 🙁

Does no one carry spare quick links?

Does no one carry spare quick links?

I had a powerlink, but no chain tool to remove the snapped plates 🙁
*lesson learned*

You do not need to have the powerlink but it is easier/quicker. Careful use of the chain breaker and you can push out and back in to make a join.

Carry a tool and powerlinks. Only time I’ve ever used them has been to help other riders. Needless to say now I’ve said that, next time I forget them, my chain will snap.

Jealous of the wildlife – only time I’ve seen a red squirrel was in France

Is that in Deeside area then?? Red squirrel lovely! wildcat amazing!; once saw pine marten near Fort Bill walking across forestry track in front of me.

Always carry a chain breaker, weighs a few grams and saves a lot of grief

Wow, I’m really quite jealous (not of the snapped chain obviously).

Red squirrels are a huge favourite and to see a young wildcat, well worth snapping a chain for.

Hope you didn’t have a long walk home 🙁

wow, seriously lucky to see a wildcat

I’m jealous

I thought the title was Westlife 2 -0 Bike…. Think I need a day off riding!

Not Deeside – Perthshire

wow, seriously lucky to see a wildcat

I’m jealous

I know, I’m amazed. I saw a roadkill one a couple of years ago so I know that they are around here. It’s the right sort of plantation / farmland / moorland combo that they seem to like apparently.

I fear the one I saw today, may have been injured though as it was cowering in the road with evidence of a wound on its neck. It did bugger off sharpish over a fence and into the plantation though, so I’m hopeful it wasn’t fatally wounded.

Loads of normal wildlife lately – a badger on Thursday, bats, hares, owls, rabbits, foxes and a weasel/stoat a few weeks ago.

BUT – I saw a Pine Marten about a month ago. I got a very good sighting, checked my reference books and it really can’t be anything anything else. The only problem is that apparently we don’t get them around here (Swansea). Hmmmm, maybe a mink in disguise?

Oh and to keep on topic, I haven’t snapped a chain in over a decade.

Welsh pine martens are a real possibility, but from my understanding there`s lots of anecdotal evidence, and scats / kill evidence but virtually no sightings. Would be worth contacting Vincent Wildlife Trust re your sighting though, polecats much smaller (I ve seen a couple live on Welsh borders).

Great to know of wildcats in Perthshire….I thought they were restricted to the quieter Highlands area, http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/sightings.html

Wow – wildcat is a seriously top trump sighting.

BUT – I saw a Pine Marten about a month ago. I got a very good sighting, checked my reference books and it really can’t be anything anything else. The only problem is that apparently we don’t get them around here (Swansea). Hmmmm, maybe a mink in disguise?

There are historical records of sightings of Pine Marten in Clyne Wood

Look here: http://data.nbn.org.uk/interactive/map.jsp?srchSp=NHMSYS0000080190

Does no one carry spare quick links?

We all did, until a thread on here. Now we all “get the point of mountain biking” and aren’t allowed to carry a bag anymore.

jamesb – Member
Welsh pine martens are a real possibility, but from my understanding there`s lots of anecdotal evidence, and scats / kill evidence but virtually no sightings. Would be worth contacting Vincent Wildlife Trust re your sighting though, polecats much smaller (I ve seen a couple live on Welsh borders).

Thanks, I’ve already contacted them. Apparently there have been sightings near Brecon and in Pembrokeshire, so no real reason why we shouldn’t have them here…

geoffj – Member

There are historical records of sightings of Pine Marten in Clyne Wood

That’s interesting because I was only a few 100m from Clyne. Useful sight, will look in more detail when I have time.

Wow lucky you! I’ve seen a lot of impressive wildlife but never a wildcat. Seen wildcat poo but not wildcat. I suspect (hope) they are more common than we think though. SNH have asked everyone to report their sightings to them for their survey so that might be a good plan.

geoffj – Did you see Thursday’s episode of ‘autumn watch’? It featured wildcat sightings on a farm in the Cairngorms.
I recorded it and watched it this morning. I’m now convinced you should report your sighting.

Still very jealous.

Saw a big dead pine marten on the road side in Benderloch nr Oban. Really didn’t think we’d get them there, its just blanket commercial pine forest apart from tiny, isolated pockets of caledonian forest.

Which begs the question, can they migrate between favourable areas, or have they always been there?

My cousin woke up this morning and of all the things standing outside her front door was a moose.

She lives is Alaska btw.

Which begs the question, can they migrate between favourable areas, or have they always been there?

They’re all over the place now and can happily live in commercial pine forest. I once followed a Pine Martens tracks in the snow out of a commercial pine forest and up a mountain side. I think it must have been hunting mountain hares or grouse cos their prints were about too. I’ve only ever caught glimpses of them though, they seem very secretive.

Pine Martens