This year I plan to bring you 30 Nights Wild, reporting all the action from my local badger sett in Yorkshire, throughout the month of June.
I'll be following this small clan as they go about their evening
activities of foraging, grooming, collecting bedding and cleaning out
the sett. Will the badgers turn up every night? They never do on
Springwatch!
Dominant sow Theresa. Note the torn left ear
I've been watching this sett for the last eight years and every year is different, largely depending on the number of cubs they produce. Last year they had two cubs and there were six badgers in residence by autumn. Now there are just three adults and one new cub.
Badger identification can be tricky. Mature males are more heavily built
than females, but in younger males the differences are not that
obvious. At this sett, the dominant sow Theresa has a distinctive torn
left ear. The tail on a male badger is generally thinner and whiter than
a female's.
Males' tails are narrower and whiter than females'
Here there are two young males which are difficult to tell apart. Getting to know them as individuals, I can see differences in their mannerisms and behaviour. Boris is usually first to the peanuts I put out for them, while Jeremy will often wait nervously by the sett entrance until Boris has finished. But if he does venture out to feed with Boris, there is no hostility between them.
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
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
For the final night of '30 Nights Wild', I'd hoped for another close encounter with the badgers, sitting on the edge of the bramble patch next to the feeding site. Unfortunately, weather conditions were not good. There was a cold north wind and I couldn't risk sitting upwind of the feeding area, even though the cubs are getting used to my scent. I had to sit on the other side of the clearing, further from the badgers. Nicola and Nigel The cubs were out first as usual, had their peanuts and returned to the sett. Boris then appeared on the edge of the sett on my left. She came over, sniffing constantly but continuing to advance without much concern about seeing me. She had a feed and was joined by one of the cubs. Later, Jeremy emerged, took one look at me and rushed off back to the sett. I heard a rustling noise from brambles behind me. One of the cubs appeared from the other side of the clearing and went over to investigate. Then both the cubs came running out, h
Looking forward to seeing more of your Badgers during 30 Nights Wild. Alex
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex. I'm hoping the badgers' behaviour improves!
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