Spot

This is Spot.  Spot visits every evening, sometimes more than once and is identified by the distinctive spot on his back right leg.  At last a badger I can be sure is the same one each time!  Spot is fed a few peanuts each night but not enough to become dependant on any food I might put out.  As tempting as it would be to "feed" the badgers, I would never want them to become reliant on me and now the rain is a regular occurance there should be plenty of worms for the badgers to find.

Now he is coming at a predictable time, usually around 9.30pm or soon after, which is  really good time for me being well before bedtime.  It's great to look out of the living room window and see him make his way up the steps and sniff out the peanuts.  It usually takes about ten minutes for him to find all the peanuts scattered about and then to eat the ones in the bowl.  Then off he scampers back down the steps and trotts off at quite a pace down the drive and presumably back into the fields to forage for worms.  Would love to know where his sett is so I could keep and eye on him and his family and I assume it can't be too far away, but try as I might I can't find it.  It must be on neighbouring land that isn't accessible to me.  I hope they stay safe.

Relaxed badger

This is the second time I've seen this badger lying down to eat the bowl of peanuts.  Clearly feeling very relaxed despite being just a few feet from the front door and living room window.  

Badger watching from my living room window

Finally I have managed to tempt at least one badger right up to the living room window.  A trail of a few peanuts from the usual feeding spot has brought one badger to under my window, and as he (or they) have started to come earlier each night it's now possible to watch one just before I go to bed, directly under my window.  Tonight I'm sure he (or she) saw me watching and stopped for a moment to stare right at me, but then carried on eating the peanuts without any more hesitation.  It's moments like this that make me glad to have moved from a busy and noisy town to the Welsh hills, where the wildlife is literally on the doorstep!

Not the best quality due to lack of good lighting and a dirty window.  But I love it anyway!

Remind me to clean the windows before I try these shots again!

Warm, August evening scuffles

The very warm and sometimes hot weather continues, with still little rain.  Things have been very quiet around here, although the badgers continue to visit, last night an hour earlier than their usual time of 11pm or later.  I continue to scatter a few peanuts around, but they seem to be ignoring the chopped apple, which the blackbirds eat during the day.  A bowl of water is left out continually and the badgers have a drink from this most nights, but not always.

Last night there were three badgers, although I only caught two at one time on camera.  I know there was a third as he arrived in the early hours and had a black smudge on his nose, distinguishing him from the two that came at 10pm.  A helicopter went over and scared the earlier two off at around 10.30pm, but by this time I think they had eaten all the peanuts.  I only scatter a few to keep their interest as I don't want them to become reliant on me feeding them.  It is however nice to give them some treats and of course water to help them out during this very dry spell.  And it helps to keep them in front of the camera for a short while!  They all look very healthy to my inexperienced eyes and it's going to be a pleasure to keep an eye on them from now on, now I know they will visit the front garden on a regular basis.

I can watch them from my bedroom window if they are early enough, but quite often I don't have the patience to wait for too long and being in much need of sleep.  My husband, however, sits on the seat outside a short distance away from them and watches usually until they disappear.  They are probably aware that he's there but take no notice.  I guess the lure of peanuts is really too great!

The earlier two badgers did have a short scuffle, the larger one seeming to put the small, and presumably younger, badger in his place. 

 

Badger number 3 with a smudge on his nose.  I'm hoping this isn't just dirt so I can identify him again in the future!  

Mr Smudge