30 Nights Wild, night 21

We're three weeks into my month long badger watching challenge, and it's time to get a few things sorted out. When I wrote my introduction to the clan in mid-May, a certain amount of guesswork was involved. With such a small group of badgers I didn't think I could go far wrong.

However, it's now clear that 'Boris' is not the badger I thought he was. He's actually a female and the mother of one of the cubs. Back in May I watched Theresa, the sow with the split ear, bringing a small cub to the feeding site. It was not until early June that I realised there were two cubs at the sett. At about the same time, Theresa disappeared. I now think that Nicola, the smaller but more independent of the cubs, was Theresa's and Nigel is Boris's cub. He's more inclined to stay in the safety of the centre of the sett, with Boris. Now, when they've finished the food I put out for them, it's Boris that takes both cubs away to the woods for some proper foraging.

Tonight, I followed my usual routine of putting out food for the badgers, then returning to my car to collect camera equipment. On the walk back I heard a screeching noise from the brambles at the side of the path. It was a distressed rabbit under attack. I stood very still, hoping to see a stoat emerge with its prey, but although I could see movement in the brambles for a while, nothing appeared and it soon went quiet.

Nicola wasting no time

When I got back to the feeding site, Nicola was already out hoovering up peanuts. She ran back to the sett as I approached, so I crouched down beside a tree and waited for her to emerge again. She soon did and was followed by Nigel. I took some photos of the two of them, until a sudden shower of rain sent them scurrying back to the sett. It was just the noise of rain on the tree canopy that startled them. I took the opportunity to get up to my high seat and the cubs returned as soon as I sat down.

Nicola and Nigel

Jeremy emerged a few minutes later and then Boris appeared. She (Boris) was very wary, but eventually came out and had a few peanuts and some honey, before another sudden shower of rain sent them all rushing back to the sett again. Boris then took the cubs off to the woods and Jeremy set off in the same direction a few minutes later.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Collecting Tansy Seed

Image
Today I’ve been to Fulford Ings, to collect seed from tansy plants to sow next spring. Each plant produces dozens of flower heads and each flower contains hundreds of seeds, so the small amount I’ve collected will have no effect on the natural spread of the plants. I’ll aim to produce another 1000 tansy plants next year. Dead flower heads now contain ripe seed   The seed will be left to dry out in my kitchen   The new generation of tansy beetles that emerged from pupae in the summer have now gone underground for the winter – except for one, which was still wandering around! The last tansy beetle still active I was concerned that the tansy we planted in August was being nibbled by rabbits (see Helping Barn Owls and Tansy Beetles ). Today I saw that new growth has appeared at the base of the plants, which the rabbits haven’t touched, so I think they will be OK in the spring. The wild flower meadow is now being grazed by sheep. They eat tansy plants too, but the plant
Read more

Maldives 2016: Wildlife on the Island

Image
The two most common birds on the island of Dhigurah are the Asian koel and the Maldivian house crow. The koel, being a type of cuckoo, is a brood parasite and the crow is its host - the koel lays its eggs in the crow's nest. The koel is a protected species in the Maldives, whereas the house crow is regarded as a pest. Both are noisy birds. The koel is more often heard than seen, as they tend to perch in the densest vegetation and betray their presence only by their extremely loud calls. The house crow is a bolder bird. It will call loudly at passing humans, apparently in defence of its territory. Call of the Asian koel Call of the Maldivian house crow The Oriental garden lizard is often seen around the village. They are large lizards, up to 37cm in length, including a very long tail. They can move each of their eyes in different directions, like chameleons, and change colour to match their surroundings. During the breeding season, the male's head and shoulders turn
Read more

Fen Bog

Image
It’s difficult to pick a favourite nature reserve, as they’re all so different and vary so much with the seasons, but one of my favourites must be Fen Bog, on the North York Moors. It’s in a hidden valley surrounded by moorland, with a boggy mire in the centre. Volunteers pulling bracken I usually only visit once a year, when Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have a conservation volunteer work day there. This year we’ve had two days, cutting back the bracken on the valley sides which threatens to engulf the reserve. The denser patches are cleared with brushcutters while thinner and steeper areas can be pulled by hand, minimizing damage to the surrounding vegetation. It’s one of those reserves where the results of our work can be clearly seen from one year to the next. Areas of dense bracken we brushcut last year just needed a tidy up by hand this year. Small pearl-bordered fritillary Large skipper sipping nectar from a thistle This is a great place to find some interesting in
Read more