Wildlife - badgers, foxes and deer 18-2-21

Over the last 2 weeks I have placed a wildlife camera in Bel's Wood with the aim of filming badgers. There are many badger setts - some with obvious signs of activity and others looking more overgrown. To take photos or video I need to locate the camera on a tree without gorse or too many twigs which is not always possible. I am experimenting currently and have started to plot the location of setts and which animals have wondered past and this schematic is at the end of this blog. I have not included squirrels, pheasants or other birds or small mammals that have been picked up by the camera. There are more setts to check and I will continue to develop the plan. My goal will be to find setts with activity which I can observe directly by sitting in the wood at night. I have been up there once to do this. I didn't see anything but could hear quite a lot of activity around me and it was a magical experience if a little disconcerting. As my night vision improved I perceived spectres moving in front of my face and every little crack of a twig sounded like a thunder clap so I had to hold my nerve! I am a massive rationalist but can see how woodlands have been perceived as magical and threatening places in cultures before electric lights. I may need to go for night vision binoculars but advice is that you do get better night vision with time and I should not need them. 

The coexistence of foxes and badgers is a new concept to me. I joined a lecture run by Friends of the Lake District with Dr Martin Kitching called Creatures of the Night. He has a great deal of experience of observing wildlife at night and runs AstroVentures (https://astro.ventures/about/). He said that foxes and badgers can share the same sett. Badgers have very poor eyesight but a very good sense of smell. To observe them you need to find a place downwind from the sett and sit quietly as night falls and they will emerge and not see you. However if the fox emerges first, they have fantastic night vision and they will see you however quietly you sit. They will then give a cry and the badger will know not to come out. From video footage so far I have not seen a fox emerging from the same sett as the badger but they hang around the same area in the wood. So much to learn!

Sett 1

Sett 2 - no badgers or anything else wandering past the camera

Sett 3 - no badgers but some interesting locals over 2 nights 

This video is of a gorgeous fox who manages to pose for the camera perfectly

This one of a deer I have included even though he is shyly off camera mostly, as this is the only deer with antlers I have seen at the wood - I have seen roe deer most times I have visited. This one is on the left and if you let the video roll you will see him wandering off at the end. 

This visitor came along though - best with the sound on! I know I said no birds but this made me laugh! My first outtake!

Sett 4

Lots of badger and fox activity here. It looks like the fox is being nosey about the sett rather than living there. 

Sett 5 

I recorded badger activity both nights the camera was there but the rain made the lens misty one night so I have just included this one.

And on the basis - save the best to last - this beauty walked through just half an hour before I retrieved the footage

This shows the sites of the setts using the schematic of the plot. There are more setts to add over the coming weeks.