I decided on a change of tactics tonight. Instead of sitting in my high seat, three metres off the ground, I'd sit on the ground, on a small stool that I normally use on conservation volunteering days. I started off about five metres from the feeding site, just to see how the badgers would react.
Jeremy and Nicola
Nicola was nervous at first, but then she's normally very cautious when first emerging. Eventually, she came out to the food and ignored me. Jeremy was not so sure either, but even he overcame his fears and emerged. After eating peanuts for ten minutes, he stopped and stared at me, then stampeded back to the sett, with Nicola following. He evidently has a short memory, as he was back out again in less than a minute! Nicola returned too for a short while, but then wandered off into the brambles. Jeremy slurped up the honey and wandered off too.
Nigel and Nicola
It was getting dark by then, so I decided to try my luck and move in a bit closer. I moved around to the foot of my ladder, about three metres from the feeding site and put out more peanuts, with a trail of nuts coming to within half a metre of my seat. Soon, Nicola was out again, this time with the other cub Nigel, and Jeremy came back too. The cubs followed the trail of nuts and then came right up to me, sniffing my boots and nibbling at my trousers. One went around behind me, then walked under the stool and came out between my legs, to sniff at the camera tripod in front of me. How do you film a badger when it's under your tripod? Finally, curiosity satisfied, all three badgers returned to the brambles. I'd been eaten alive by mosquitos, but it was worth it!
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
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