A wildlife cam set up to monitor beavers has recorded the first sighting of a pine marten in Studland, Dorset, in more than a century.
Much to the surprise of the National Trust volunteers who checked the nighttime footage, the mammal, which is critically endangered in England, suddenly appeared in the video recording and was able to be positively identified.
The pine marten is clearly identifiable from the footage captured by the wildlife camera which was set up to monitor Studland’s newly released beavers
Extinct in England for more than a century
Pine martens have brown fur, a pale yellow patch around their throat, and a long, bushy tail. Although in the same family as weasels and stoats, they are much bigger and a similar size to a domestic cat.
They mainly eat small mammals, such as voles, mice and even grey squirrels. Known to scavenge on carrion, they will also take birds and their eggs, as well as fruit and berries.
Pine martens, which became extinct in England around the 1900s, are now thriving in the New Forest in Hampshire and there have been sightings in Wareham Forest but it’s not known how one (and there may be more) ended up in Studland.
The National Trust says there is no nearby introduction programme, so it’s believed the pine marten, which is a quick runner, made its own way down to one of the UK’s most scenic coastal spots.
The beaver cams have also captured otters making themselves at home in Studland, who appear to happily co-exist with the beavers and now, it appears, pine martens.
Volunteers share their 2025 wildlife discoveries at the Purbeck Natural History Forum AGM in Studland village hall
Aquatic invertebrate survey in action
Resurgence of wildlife
News of the unexpected discovery emerged at the annual meeting of the Purbeck Natural History Forum, which took place on Wednesday 12th November 2025 at Studland village hall.
The Purbeck Natural History Forum was established in 2022 to monitor species across the whole of the region, bringing together data collected by volunteers on land owned by organisations including RSPB Arne, National Trust, and Forestry England.
Much of Purbeck was designated as the UK’s first-ever ‘super’ national nature reserve (NNR) in 2020. Now five years on, monitoring across the 3,331 hectare Purbeck Heaths site is showing a resurgence of wildlife.
As well as the recording of a pine marten in Studland in May 2025, speakers at the AGM mentioned other notable success stories for 2025.
Record number of Dartford Warblers breeding in Arne
Highest ever count of silver-studded blue butterflies
Wildlife highlights
- Dartford warblers have reached a record 97 breeding pairs at Arne, an extraordinary recovery for a bird species that was almost extinct in the UK in the 1960s
- Silver-studded blue butterflies have seen their highest ever counts in 2024 and 2025, with more than 2,000 recorded. This is in a time of national butterfly decline
- A nationally rare ground beetle, famed for its iridescent green and gold colouring, is thriving on Hartland Moor
- Water voles, an endangered species, have been recorded on several sites on the heaths
- Rare plants are also thriving in greater numbers including marsh gentians, great sundews and pale dog violets and yellow centaury
Irridescent ground beetles are thriving on Hartland Moor
Marsh gentian flowering in Purbeck
“National beacon for monitoring”
The Purbeck Heaths NNR is one of the most biodiverse places in the UK, home to thousands of species, including all six native reptiles.
It is a partnership between the National Trust, Natural England, RSPB, Forestry England, Rempstone Estate, Dorset Wildlife Trust and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.
On behalf of the seven organisations which manage the Purbeck Heaths, Peter Robertson of the RSPB said:
“We are hugely grateful to the Purbeck Natural History Forum for all its work. In five years, they have helped the Purbeck Heaths become a national beacon for monitoring, experimentation and research in nature restoration.
“The heathland birds survey was particularly impressive, monitoring over 15 species, including the iconic Dartford warblers which are clearly benefitting from all the work over many years to restore Purbeck’s heaths.”
The botany group undertaking wildlife monitoring
“United by a passion for wildlife”
Volunteers survey everything from birds and small mammals, to butterflies, dragonflies, glowworms and wildflowers.
They work at consistent times along set transects to ensure reliable year-on-year data.
Jasper Iepema, freelance ecologist supporting the Purbeck Natural History Forum, said:
“We have over 300 members, including both expert naturalists and enthusiastic amateurs. They are united by a passion for wildlife and a commitment to do whatever they can to help nature recover.
“Together they put in an incredible 6,000 hours of surveying this year.”
Who doesn’t love a water vole?
“Building scientific evidence”
Michelle Brown, National Trust ecologist, added:
“The creation of the natural history forum has been one of the successes of the NNR. It is a privilege to work with these dedicated volunteers who care deeply about wildlife in Purbeck.
“Thanks to their rigorous monitoring, we are building scientific evidence showing how the ecosystem is responding to reintroducing natural processes like grazing by cattle, ponies and pigs.”
Purbeck Heaths national nature reserve is seeing a resurgence of wildlife
“Nature can recover and thrive again”
Although all the forum members work as volunteers, the NNR partners are trying to secure long-term funding to provide it with a project officer to co-ordinate its work.
In 2025 the forum was part-funded by Forestry England, the organisation responsible for the nation’s public forests.
Landscape recovery manager for Forestry England, Mark Warn said:
“The Purbecks Heaths are truly special and a haven for so many rare species of plants and animals.
“The forum and their volunteers are playing a key role in ensuring that those of us with the privilege of looking after this landscape are focussing our work in the right areas. Their data makes it clear that with the right support nature can recover and thrive again.”
Watch the pine marten
Further information
- More about the Purbeck Natural History Forum
