Badgers and Foxes

The first cubs out

On Thursday night I went to watch the badgers again. I put out some peanuts and returned to my car to collect the camera. When I got back to the sett, two badger cubs were already tucking in to the peanuts. I got one photo before they realised I was there and ran off. Once I was in my high seat, they soon came out again and before long the other four cubs joined them. They have brief playful skirmishes, but food is definitely the priority at the moment. Most of their time around the sett is spent foraging amongst the brambles. When I thought they’d left the area I came down from my seat and was coiling up the cable for my infrared light when three cubs came running out again and came up to me to investigate. They nosed around the camera and one was within a metre of me before it realised I was there and all three galloped away back to the sett.

Fox enjoying some early evening sunshine

As well as the badgers, there are two fox families in Badger Wood this year. The East end family have at least three cubs and the West end family have four. I have tried watching them at dusk, but so far without success. These are rural foxes and very elusive. Camera trap photos and video that I’ve managed to get show them to be active at any time of the day or night, with no discernible pattern to their activity.

The elusive fox families

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