Wednesday 2/9/09 - Busy at work

This, as some of you may already have gathered, is my first ever blog. I like keeping some sort of record of events for myself and if no-one else reads it, that's fine by me. However, for those of you who do keep blogs (if anyone is reading this), isn't it difficult to keep up to date with them? Really busy at work at the moment and putting in a number of late nights meaning I'm getting home by about eight and leaving for the badgers at half past. By time I get back from the Barn Owl Centre, I'm knackered and don't get around to updating the blog as often as I should. I will try and remedy this in the near future.

Wednesday night I was home from work relatively early and my dad comes round for a chat. I show him the pictures I've taken over the last couple of nights and he suggests using his little Samsung camera for a go at taking pictures of the badgers. I can't really see the difference as it's a small compact very similar to the Nikon I tried last night. Anyway, he lends it to me until next Wednesday so I'll give it a go.

As ever, I'm later than I'd like to be when I arrive at the BOC. As usual I have a quick chat with Vince and Juliette to catch up on how busy it's been with visitors, how the birds are and any other news. It's then off into the darkness, on my own tonight, food out and into the hide. The weather today has been very wet and I'm togged up in my fleece jacket (it's quieter than a waterproof), waterproof trousers and wellies. Rain is now just spotting a bit, thankfully. I have my dad's Samsung camera and realise there, in the dark, I need to figure out where the on/off button is, which setting to use, etc. I fiddle about with this for a while and think I've got it sorted. A badger appears, coming in from the main path ahead of the hide. He moves confidently forward and is soon only a couple of metres from the hide. I use the gap in the camo net to put the torch out and also slowly move my hand witht the camera in through the gap. If the movement is behind the torch, no problem. Just don't let any movement happen in front of it or they are gone. I don't do that this time and as a second badger appears to the left of the hide, I try a shot. No response, which is reassuring. I take a couple more with no response from either badger, who have now moved closer together and are feeding happily side by side. A few more piccies. Still no reaction. Good. I like trying to get a good shot as I can show them on this blog and you can see them too. See this wonderful pair below, looking a bit like drowned rats, but it has been pouring.
They get closer to the hide, literally a couple of feet away from where I'm sat. Again, I can smell the odd odour they have. They are quite noisy, not vocally, but sniffing and eating noises in abundance! As always, I am gobsmacked to be so close to these animals. I never know for sure if they are aware of me, or am I just hiding well and with the wind into my face, they can't smell me either? I'm starting to believe they now know I'm there, but maybe putting up with me. I don't know how long it would take to gain trust from these wary animals, but wonder if I'm getting there after two or three months? Again, if you have experience of badgers, please let me know. Why do I think they know I'm there? Look at the two pictures below. The first is blissful ignorance, maybe. The second? Apart from the redeye, or badger equivalent of it, this badger is looking directly at me. What do you think? In the first picture you can see the second badger in the background. The second picture shows a bit of the setup I use at the hide. Although my torch looks huge, it is only about three inches across the lens so the gap between the camo net and door frame is about a foot. It's through this gap I illuminate with the torch and take either video or stills as you can see here. My knees, when I'm kneeling, are almost up against the inside of the hide. This puts me really close to the badgers, which is great!

During the taking of these pictures, and another dozen besides, the badgers didn't once show any concern, apart from on one occasion when my hand was holding the camera outside of the hide and the badger came  a bit too close for comfort and I pulled it in fairly quickly, which spooked him slightly. So, if you are going to buy a camera to photograph badgers, Don't buy an SLR or a Nikon. Samsung cameras are definitely badger friendly!!

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