Badgers?
- Mike J
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Re: Badgers?
Nice.
A damp old place but clearly very dry underground. Bit of new bedding being collected and possibly sharing the bank with a rabbit or two.
The sleeping area will be higher than the entrances to trap the warm air, judging by the spoil heaps its not been in use for very long.
Next time your there have a look around for their scraping tree, where they stand a sharpen their foreclaws, the vertical grooves will start just above your knee height.
.
A damp old place but clearly very dry underground. Bit of new bedding being collected and possibly sharing the bank with a rabbit or two.
The sleeping area will be higher than the entrances to trap the warm air, judging by the spoil heaps its not been in use for very long.
Next time your there have a look around for their scraping tree, where they stand a sharpen their foreclaws, the vertical grooves will start just above your knee height.
.
'No Man Ever Fishes The Same River Twice, .... For It Is Not The Same River, .... And He Is Not The Same Man' Heraclitus of Ephesus
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- Zander
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Re: Badgers?
Looks like badgers to me, lovely creatures that have a fondness for my nuts
Cheers, Alan
Cheers, Alan
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" Seneca, some Roman chap.
- davelumb
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Re: Badgers?
Mike J wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 12:46 -Nice.
A damp old place but clearly very dry underground. Bit of new bedding being collected and possibly sharing the bank with a rabbit or two.
The sleeping area will be higher than the entrances to trap the warm air, judging by the spoil heaps its not been in use for very long.
Next time your there have a look around for their scraping tree, where they stand a sharpen their foreclaws, the vertical grooves will start just above your knee height.
.
I spotted the small hole. It is close to a pool of water, just out of shot at the bottom of the picture. It's a fenced off place I've just got key access to. I'm sure badgers can get in and out though.
Many years back some wood on my garage got 'scraped' one night. Always suspected a badger had been along!
- Mike J
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Re: Badgers?
davelumb wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 12:58 -Mike J wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 12:46 -Nice.
A damp old place but clearly very dry underground. Bit of new bedding being collected and possibly sharing the bank with a rabbit or two.
The sleeping area will be higher than the entrances to trap the warm air, judging by the spoil heaps its not been in use for very long.
Next time your there have a look around for their scraping tree, where they stand a sharpen their foreclaws, the vertical grooves will start just above your knee height.
.
I spotted the small hole. It is close to a pool of water, just out of shot at the bottom of the picture. It's a fenced off place I've just got key access to. I'm sure badgers can get in and out though.
Many years back some wood on my garage got 'scraped' one night. Always suspected a badger had been along!
Well done.
Follow the tracks, the one going up the slope to the right is being well used, eventually you will find how they leave the fenced area. There isn't many in there, probably only one or two juveniles.
Their routes are often centuries old and there isn't many obstacles they cannot find a way over or under. While building fences I have installed many badger gates to allow them free passage while still stopping rabbits. Their routes are so ingrained that even if the gate was 6-8" off line they would bore under on one side.
Wooden buildings are no deterrent, ive had them rip slats of a chicken shed and go between a corrugated iron sheet and a stone wall to get to the other side. My Father had one go through several fence panels before he gave up and made a clear path for it.
.
'No Man Ever Fishes The Same River Twice, .... For It Is Not The Same River, .... And He Is Not The Same Man' Heraclitus of Ephesus
- davelumb
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Re: Badgers?
Mike J wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 13:16 -Thanks Mike. Unsurprisingly my access is fish related.davelumb wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 12:58 -Mike J wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 12:46 -Nice.
A damp old place but clearly very dry underground. Bit of new bedding being collected and possibly sharing the bank with a rabbit or two.
The sleeping area will be higher than the entrances to trap the warm air, judging by the spoil heaps its not been in use for very long.
Next time your there have a look around for their scraping tree, where they stand a sharpen their foreclaws, the vertical grooves will start just above your knee height.
.
I spotted the small hole. It is close to a pool of water, just out of shot at the bottom of the picture. It's a fenced off place I've just got key access to. I'm sure badgers can get in and out though.
Many years back some wood on my garage got 'scraped' one night. Always suspected a badger had been along!
Well done.
Follow the tracks, the one going up the slope to the right is being well used, eventually you will find how they leave the fenced area. There isn't many in there, probably only one or two juveniles.
Their routes are often centuries old and there isn't many obstacles they cannot find a way over or under. While building fences I have installed many badger gates to allow them free passage while still stopping rabbits. Their routes are so ingrained that even if the gate was 6-8" off line they would bore under on one side.
Wooden buildings are no deterrent, ive had them rip slats of a chicken shed and go between a corrugated iron sheet and a stone wall to get to the other side. My Father had one go through several fence panels before he gave up and made a clear path for it.
.
- John Milford
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Re: Badgers?
It looks very much like the sett I walk by almost every day with my dog Dave.
It has trebled, perhaps more, in size since I first saw it. Now the brambles have died back, at least four newish entrances are now visible.
It must be a very active sett as there seems to be fresh spoil almost every week.
There have been a few areas of torn-up turf showing in the fields recently too. Last winter they disturbed dozens of square metres - I assume grubbing for leatherjackets or somesuch?
I see lots of other little shallow diggings at this time of year year too, which I expect are the work of grey squirrels.
It has trebled, perhaps more, in size since I first saw it. Now the brambles have died back, at least four newish entrances are now visible.
It must be a very active sett as there seems to be fresh spoil almost every week.
There have been a few areas of torn-up turf showing in the fields recently too. Last winter they disturbed dozens of square metres - I assume grubbing for leatherjackets or somesuch?
I see lots of other little shallow diggings at this time of year year too, which I expect are the work of grey squirrels.
"He's some sort of lure savant. Or just has an unhealthy addiction to old lures. We are not quite sure . . . . . "
- davelumb
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Re: Badgers?
John Milford wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 13:29 -There's a new housing estate going up about 100 yards from this one. Good luck with the gardens folks!It looks very much like the sett I walk by almost every day with my dog Dave.
It has trebled, perhaps more, in size since I first saw it. Now the brambles have died back, at least four newish entrances are now visible.
It must be a very active sett as there seems to be fresh spoil almost every week.
There have been a few areas of torn-up turf showing in the fields recently too. Last winter they disturbed dozens of square metres - I assume grubbing for leatherjackets or somesuch?
I see lots of other little shallow diggings at this time of year year too, which I expect are the work of grey squirrels.
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- Zander
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Re: Badgers?
I regularly get them in the garden especially since I had the tip of "prebaiting" for then with peanuts!
Cheers, Alan
Cheers, Alan
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" Seneca, some Roman chap.
- davelumb
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Re: Badgers?
cookiesdaughtersdad wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 14:13 -I'm not gonna start feeding the buggers badgers! I might by a new trail cam though.I regularly get them in the garden especially since I had the tip of "prebaiting" for then with peanuts!
Cheers, Alan
- davelumb
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- Bob Barker
- Perch
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Re: Badgers?
Mike J wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 12:46 -This came down not long ago...Nice.
A damp old place but clearly very dry underground. Bit of new bedding being collected and possibly sharing the bank with a rabbit or two.
The sleeping area will be higher than the entrances to trap the warm air, judging by the spoil heaps its not been in use for very long.
Next time your there have a look around for their scraping tree, where they stand a sharpen their foreclaws, the vertical grooves will start just above your knee height.
.
(pic limit, con't next post)
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We spend years trying to make something idiot proof then the universe produces a better idiot.
- Bob Barker
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Re: Badgers?
and...
...they were at it like a tramp on a hot poke of chips.You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
We spend years trying to make something idiot proof then the universe produces a better idiot.
- davelumb
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Re: Badgers?
Bob Barker wrote: ↑Wed Jan 26 2022 00:07 -I'll look out for that sort of thing.and...
BadgClawTree02.jpg
BadgClawTree03.jpg
BadgClawTree04.jpg
...they were at it like a tramp on a hot poke of chips.
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- Chub
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Re: Badgers?
cookiesdaughtersdad wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 14:13 -They also like the dry dog food,I buy a sack of the cheapest variety and mix it 50/50 with peanuts.I regularly get them in the garden especially since I had the tip of "prebaiting" for then with peanuts!
Cheers, Alan
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- Zander
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Re: Badgers?
Mattjb wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28 2022 19:39 -Sounds yummy!cookiesdaughtersdad wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22 2022 14:13 -They also like the dry dog food,I buy a sack of the cheapest variety and mix it 50/50 with peanuts.I regularly get them in the garden especially since I had the tip of "prebaiting" for then with peanuts!
Cheers, Alan
I have seen badgers laying down over the peanuts so as the others cant get them, they then shuffle backwards as they nibble.
Cheers Alan
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" Seneca, some Roman chap.