Badgers in my garden.

Jennie · #1 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 09:52 PM

I now have an infra red security camera fixed up in my back garden for badger watching. For the last three weeks or so there has just been one, very occasionally two, coming to visit every night.

I thought this was thrilling enough, but last night I nearly fell off my chair when five of them turned up together!!

There was a large dark one which I assume was the male as he wouldn't let any of the others feed with him, pushing them out of the way with his rump. There were two lighter coloured females (?) who did feed together, one of which had two youngsters with her, about one third to half her size.

For about 20 minutes I watched entranced as they interacted with one another, with Mother keeping a careful eye on the youngsters, who were gambolling about and having fun as kids do!

Such a magical experience!

Baggins · #2 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 10:37 PM

Jennie

Glad you've got the camera working! I see a lot of foxes on mine, including one attempting to catch the resident mallard. I thihk badgers are occasional visitors to my garden but not caught any on camera yet.

Peter

Words · #3 (**permalink**) 12-04-2009, 01:46 AM

That's great! I'm astonished on the odd occasion I see a single badger in our garden, always fleeting and they've never stayed around for any length of time. Five must be eye-popping!

sunnydale · #4 (**permalink**) 12-04-2009, 09:11 AM

Sounds fantastic Jennie. How lucky you are

I'm not at all envious!

Hedgehoggy · #5 (**permalink**) 12-04-2009, 11:12 PM

WOW! Five in your garden at once! A 'magical experience' indeed

What were they eating in your garden?

hobble · #6 (**permalink**) 13-04-2009, 05:51 PM

Brilliant you have had 5 in one go. Is your camera a web cam type thing?
We are still waiting the arrival of ours, they visit late at the moment, as I can see they have been digging for worms. Soon we expect them around 9-10pm, when I will be awake to see them!!!

Jennie · #7 (**permalink**) 13-04-2009, 09:34 PM

At the moment the security camera is simply plugged into my television set for live pictures, but I would like to have some sort of permanent record really.

I have been putting food out since last autumn, when one decided he liked my sweetcorn! I put out sweetcorn, peanuts, sultanas, apples and pears, plus a few extras as experiments - they won't eat wheat, carrots or blackberries, but I am sure they eat all my slugs and snails, so for that reason alone, they are welcome!

Have only seen two per night since!

Hedgehoggy · #8 (**permalink**) 13-04-2009, 11:49 PM

A veritable banquet, Jennie

, which all 5 (plus this year's cubs

) will undoubtedly be back to dine on regularly

Now might be the time to think about growing your own sweetcorn, apples and pears!!

Bumblebeebob · #9 (**permalink**) 17-04-2009, 09:52 AM

I regularly get 2, sometimes 3 visiting my garden every evening, if I haven't got around to leaving any tit bits out they give me a reminder by shoving on the cat flap with their snouts (about 9:30 pm at the moment). My back door is usually covered in muddy smudges in the morning. I'm not sure of their sexes as they all seem to be of equal size & one in particular seems quite old, it has poorer eyesight & a limp. The fitter ones just seem to steal the food from under its nose unless I can divert their attention away from him/her. In fact recently "limpy" has been making some quite energetic demands at the back door...........at 3:45 AM !! This seems to happen when it didn't turn up earlier with the others & missed out on the goodies. So that I wouldn't get disturbed again I left a full 2 gallon watering can in front of the cat flap but it was just nudged out of the way! None of them are too bothered if I stand out there with them!
I am a bit concerned about their welfare because our gardens do not back on to the nearby woodland (which are across 2 side roads & around the corner) & judging by their early arrival times they must be living in a neighbours garden. I think there territory might just be a few back gardens, a fairly limited space by all accounts, most people have side gates onto their drives which are normally shut thus giving no opportunity for them to escape their "open" prison.

hobble · #10 (**permalink**) 25-04-2009, 08:58 PM

At last I have been visited by the first badger this year in my garden, however it has not learnt the etiquette of its ancestors and is merrily digging up my plants.
I have had them visit now for 30 years and have never had any problems with plants being dug up, little baby is very destructive!!
It seems to have a lot of scars on it's face so may have been fighting.
Just put out peanuts and hope those will suffice.
It was in the porch last night eating the catfood!!!
I would prefer he dug up the lawn...................Of course he is forgiven.