Busy Schedules, No Badgers...

Due to a concert I am unable to even feed the badgers on Thursday, but having seen the badgers last night, my wife has offered to go over and put the peanuts out for me! At least there will be some continuity with their feeding.

I managed to get out on Friday and put the food out, so again, they have been fed, but no-one there to watch. I wonder if they did show up?

Saturday was a no hope day as spent all day at the Silverstone Classic race meeting with gig by Carlos Santana in the evening. Great day out and Santana is a class act. However, a twenty hour day doesn't bode well for a late night on Sunday, my next chance of watching the badgers. I'll have a lie in on Sunday to see if that helps!

Sunday night is here, but not feeling that great (Swine Flu?). It's also pouring down with rain and getting dark early due to the cloud cover. It's gone off quite cold as well. On with the wellies and waterproofs and over to the hide. I've decided to try and concentrate the feeding in front of the hide and not put nuts on the paths leading to the hide. This may be slowing the badgers arrival at the hide. We'll see how it goes. Peanuts now in front of the hide, sitting in the rain (the hide only has scrim netting on the roof). Even in this weather, it's quite relaxing sitting in the hide, on my own tonight, and listening to the rain falling. Quite dark now, but I see some movement to my right. I peer round and there is a large badger, the biggest I've seen, stood there and starting to feed. Is this the boar from the clan? He certainly looks like an impressive animal. I decide to put a light on him and as I switch it on, he's gone. Damn. This is first time I've spooked one with a light and it sort of confirms he hasn't been here before whilst I've been watching. Do boars roam and feed alone? Or would they normally stay with the rest of the group? All stuff I need to find out.

Disappointed at missing an opportunity to watch this animal, I sit and wait. It's still raining, hard. There is some movement out at the bend in the path. A single badger is coming towards the hide. I sit and watch the shape, for that's all it is in the dark, reluctant to put the light on in case I spook it. I decide to risk it as it's definitely not the same animal as I spooked earlier. In the beam, a small, wet badger. He's enjoying his feast, though, and quite relaxed. He stays for about twenty minutes and, before the nuts are all gone, he wanders off, back the way he came. I decide to call it a night now, check there is nothing around and leave the hide. Using a headtorch, I start walking back up. I pick up some green eye shine, but it's probably the badger who had just left. Apart from that, I have an uneventful walk back up to the farm, home and bed!

From now on, as I'm up to date with postings, I will try and post each day as it happens, hopefully making it a little more interesting.