Part of our morning walk takes us a long a short section of footpath between a couple of minor roads. The path is heavily wooded, and bound by small schools and farmland.
Over the years, we often see excavations in a bank along onside of the path. The burrows have a wide entrance, fronted by a lot of soil. It is often difficult to ascertain how old the excavations are and whether the burrows are in use.
Although the Memsahib often attributes these burrows to badgers, I've been a bit more skeptical. There are a lot of rabbits in the area. The soil is soft, bordering on sandy, therefore prone to erosion. A small rabbit sized hole can easily be eroded to quite a large hole. The burrow entrances were no more than two or three footsteps from the footpath, making me dubious about them being made by badgers.
Until I saw this...
Lovely, 'fresh' grass and straw scattered outside the front of the hole.
Next morning, we returned with a trail cam, which I set up on the holly tree to the right of this photo. I've been reluctant to put out a trail cam until now due to the lack of cover for the camera from the footpath. Some enterprising oik is bound to steal my trail cam if they spot it. Anyway, apart from it being a little bit painful getting past the holly leaves and briar thorns, this was a perfect spot for a trail cam - if a little close to the sett's entrance.
After a couple of nights out, I retrieved my trail cam to find it wasn't pointing downwards enough. Still, I got this footage of one badger coming out of the sett.
I must admit I a very surprised to see a badger sett so close to a public footpath. Granted, it isn't the most heavily used of paths. In fact it is a rare event for us to encounter anyone on the path on our morning walks. Nevertheless, it is used by pedestrians, cyclists and dogwalkers. Then I read up about badgers and discovered that they do live and dig up setts in close proximity to human habitation - sometimes even in gardens!
My old girl and I are very pleased to have a badger sett; and on our daily morning constitutional to boot.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
My 'Inspector Clouseau' investigations (as Catlady said, though I'd prefer Marlow or Sam Spade or Morse, even) has yielded a crucial piece of evidence. One of our badgers is setting up home. I'll start this week's update with this exciting piece of news. Though there has been plenty of other action around our sett this week; which I'll put in follow up posts.
Here's the sequence. Again, I aplogise for a YouTube entry. The mp4 file exceeds the 5MB limit of this forum.
Looks a little empty, but keep your focus on right of photos.
Note badger coming in frame backwards.
It is dragging in bedding.
Now the good bit.
Ta da. Badger setting up home in an old sett.
I'm about to dash out of home, to leg it back to where the sett is, and put out my trail cam, before the heavens open up. Netweather's rainfall radar shows about an hour of light rain. Just enough time to get there and back.
Oh, exciting Angus, look forward to the story unfolding about your Badgers.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.