Badger SettWatch. Fox mystery solved, but den wars ensue. Marital bliss returns to our badgers - more on this later. Update 15-3-2025

Rained off, and will be so for the next two days. I thought I had an hour after our morning walk to widen my path edge guide line I had cut with an edging tool the day before. Four times I managed to stick my spade into the line and wiggle it about before the heavens opened up. No gentle amble of light drizzle for half an hour leading up to rain. It was full on from the off, and the wind just picked up suddenly.

I love being able to share footage. No point in getting the images and then leaving it on my disk for no one else to see.

We'll kick off this update with some mutual grooming.

A very important facet of social animal behaviour.

Badgers have a reputation of being tough and bad tempered, prepared to take on animals many times their size. They are, however, extremely gentle with members of their clan. I've already posted a couple of videos showing this, and have a whole load more.

Itchy appears to have created a sort of hollow - whether by design or luck. I didn't really notice this hollow when I first placed out my trail cams, but then again I was concentrating of getting the things to point in the right direction. Here is the hollow, with a female blackbird for scale. You can also see my GardePro trail cam, with field behind.

Itchy, in particular, uses this hollow as a sort of seating area. He settles into the hollow and grooms and scratches himself. Here he is cleaning his tail.

He also appears to sleep in the hollow. Has Mrs Itchy banned him from their sett? This video is from my Bargarbou trail cam, which filled up its SD card after two days. Thus I lost four days footage - I placed the trail cam on a Sunday, rather than my usual Saturday.

My GardePro seemed to indicate that Itchy spent more time sleeping in his hollow over the week. Temperatures did drop below zero on several nights. Maybe the sett isn't quite big enough yet for both him and Scrawny tail. Itchy has been indulging in wholesale excavations.

This is a video from my trail cam (another Bargarbou - got it on a Limited Time deal from Amazon for £40!) just off a byway. I've seen this behaviour before. One or more badgers investigating a sett hole over many weeks before deciding to take up residence.

Fascinating stuff Angus,, thanks

Mixed bag, today, before I go to swap SD cards tomorrow.

Once again, a Roe deer (stag this time) attempts to get from footpath to field.

I've always suspected animals go under this fence to get between field and footpath. Here is a fox obliging.

I've yet to see a badger do this.

Moving swiftly to our second sett off a byway. Here is a badger investigating the sett. A badger or tow have been through this area, but this is the first time I've seen one show a keen interest in it. We have seen this behaviour before - badgers investigating a sett before deciding to set up home.

I'd be surprised if a badger takes up residence. This is a relatively busy road, with many dog walkers using it. More dogs investigate this sett than the one on the footpath.

Here is a Magpie caching food.

Bit of a shame it picked this location seeing as the sett has a resident brown rat. It was sniffing around the areas the magpie cached its food.

Morning all, on yet another yukky, manky, dreary wet day. I haven't forgotten you or abandoned the badger sett. I've just been rather preoccupied with digging paths and small patio areas in our garden, and shifting a couple of tons of scalps and sharp sand.

Activity continues around both badger setts. The badgers appear to be extending our main badger sett. A new opening has appeared, though not very deep, whilst they have been excavating the main sett further.

I put an old trail cam out on a set of openings a few yards from our main hole. We suspected badgers were using it. More on this later.

This update concerns Muntjac deer. I knew there were Muntjacs using this area, I just haven't seen any of late - well a number of years. Well, not any more as one visited our main sett, hoping for a way through to the field beyond.

Not a Muntjac deer. A rather more common Roe deer, a young stag at that beginning to grow horns.  There are quite a few Roe deer in the area, and we often see them. Never seen a Muntjac in this immediate area. Photographed and videoed them with trail cams, but no eyeball sightings.

More on our amourous and industrial badgers to follow.

Thanks Angus, Th e Roe Deer seems to keep attempting to get into the field, also love how they look up at the cam as it starts to vid, and then promptly ignores it Ha!!!

Hope the garden work taking shape! Just some times of the year,it does not seem to have enough daylight hours, to do all we want.

Thanks for the updates Angus. I hope all the garden plans are taking place and you are not overdoing it! A busy corner still, what will we see next, I wonder?

Thanks, Catlady and SunnyKate.

I decided to take Sunday off. Partly as I've been over doing it slightly, partly as the ground was saturated after almost 36 hours rain, but mostly as I was fed up with cold, drizzle and mud. Rather strange feeling, not doing anything - well, I did catch up on paper work and updating various online bits and pieces. Remodeling of garden may continue tomorrow. It's raining, currently, and did so all night.

I did manage to get one path dug, lined with non-woven geotextile and a layer of scalps laid. I'm lifting the cut slabs and replacing them. The Memsahib wanted a curved path, no overly straight edges.

A small patio area and hard standing for pots and the likes dug at other end - though clay bit next to fence still to be dug out.

Geotextile laid. I did manage to dig half the clay out, but it was heavy going. Another reason I didn't want to work yesterday, and why I'm a little reticent about tomorrow - the clay will be saturated and extremely claggy.

Anyway, enough of my landscaping escapades. On with Sett Watch. As I mentioned earlier, our badgers are extending their sett. I don't know if all entrances are linked and chambers dug, but there are signs that this is so. Unfortunately, all I can see is a line of holes along the banking alongside the footpath.

I placed a trail cam on two holes further south of the main hole. I put the trail cam on a convenient post or old stump, which had ivy growing on it. Unfortunately, the whole shebang is right next to the footpath in clear view. Therefore, I chose to put out the trail cam at dusk (it was getting pretty dark on my way home) and pick it up early next morning. I also used ivy to disguise the whole lot. This actually worked rather well, as I saw on returning the next morning. Walkers would have to know the trail cam was where it was to notice it.

Trust my luck, the wind picked up during the night, blew the ivy arounds, which partially blocked the camera lens with an ivy leaf. I didn't have much hope of picking up anything, partly due to the leaf and partly as badgers are mercurial about using sett holes. Therefore, I was most pleased to see this.

My plan is to put an old trail cam out for a week, but disguise it heavily with ivy, then keep my fingers crossed no one nicks it.

Moving back to the sett on the byway. We have a new mammal. A mouse. I have no idea which variety - field, wood, yellow necked, other.

The brown rat is still there. As are foxes, which are still spooked by the red glowing 'eyes' of my Bargarbou trail cam. It was cheap, so I can't really complain.

A badger has been sniffing the sett with greater interest. But it too is spooked by the red glowing eyes.

I think I'll swap out my Bargarbou for an ancient Apeman trail cam to stop scaring the animals. My Apeman is no-glow, but produces low quality photos and videos. Plus its trigger time is a paltry 0.3 to 0.5 seconds.

Thanks Angus, what  a lovely set of postings today ,bless you.

Maybe they will get used to the eyes watching them, when they realise, its not going to move and chase them Ha!!

You are certainly very trusting, and long may it last, sadly today, so many only think 'Me' 'I' and destroy or (nick (as you say),.......... just for sheer devilment.

I am very grateful and enjoying while you able to provide.

Oooh! that looks like hard going on the clay path, but am sure will be appreciated when completed.Well done, and again Thanks for sharing.