Monday 21/9/09 - A glorious sunset

It's been a lovely day again today. It's now a little colder at about 7.45PM, but still very pleasant. The sunset is also a corker too! The picture, below, was taken from the flying area just outside the aviary area at the Barn Owl Centre. It was a good one, to say the least.
On down to the hide whilst listening to the wild Tawny's again. At least two are calling to each other not too far away. I can also hear the "nocturnal" heron that haunts these parts. I hear him quite regularly, even after dark and once or twice I've spooked him as he roosts in one of the Oak trees on the way back to the centre. I reach the hide and put the food out in the usual way. I decide not to drop the net tonight, again, as it would be a great way for a single guest, or maybe two, to see the badgers without the net between them and the animals. I have tried it with others there as both my daughter and Vince have been there without a net. Both occasions were fairly successful but I'd need to be confident that the badgers would show before committing to that particular idea.

I'm now in the hide, food out and I'm not disappointed as a few minutes later, a lone badger appears from the main path. I get the usual tingle of excitement as he moves closer and closer to the hide. He's soon feeding in the pool of light I illuminate the point a metre, or so, out from the hide. I'm knelt to the right side of the door watching and taking the odd picture. This lone animal eats all of the food I've put out and is now looking for more. As he's eaten what I put out for two, I decide not to feed any additional nuts tonight. I can almost sense a tinge of disappointment from the badger as he eventually ambles of into the dark. I wait a few minutes as the badgers can often return. One of the tricks they use is to disappear to one side of the hide, but reappear from the other a few minutes later. I wouldn't want to leave the hide in view of a badger as that could set the confidence levels of the animal back several weeks, or longer. I close up the hide and leave a few more nuts lying around and begin walking back up to the centre. Just around the first corner on the path I spook a badger. He was close when I scared him, but up against the longer grass adjacent to the path, I didnt see him until I was almost on top of him. I'm not sure who jumped most, me or him! Anyway, he went crashing off into the hedge and I continued my walk back up. I had a second fright when the heron suddenly called it's awful call right above my head as it took flight from the Oak as I passed underneath it. To top off the night, I went through the gate into the top field and turned right along the hedge. Another badger here suddenly goes crashing off into the hedge. Three encounters in 300 yards, or so. I'll be a nervous wreck if this sort of thing happens regularly!

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