WHY

BADGERS?

 

A young badger cub emerges into the evening sunlight. I was dressed in full camouflage gear. It may not have see me too clearly but as I was very close, it wasn't long before it caught my scent and reversed back down the hole. The young cubs aren't quite as cautious as the adults and if you are careful, and stay downwind, you can get very close to them. May & June are the best months to watch the cubs and they are very cute and great fun to watch when in a group together. They grow up quickly both in size and stealth so get a glimpse of them when you can.	WHY BADGERS?    Why badgers indeed? Some evenings when I'm sitting in a cramped position with a numb backside, midges biting every small area of exposed flesh, dressed in full camouflage gear with headnet and gloves, sweating profusely on a warm summers evening simply to catch a glimpse of a wild animal, I realise I must be dedicated or perhaps slightly deranged. What is it that draws me to lug a tripod, cameras, flash lights and other equipment up hills or over treacherous scrubland, to wait for a couple of hours for 1/125 second or if I'm lucky, a couple of minutes of good video footage? Yes, definitely deranged. To fellow badger watchers, this behaviour will appear quite normal but to the uninitiated, they are probably thinking this guy is not the full shilling. Being honest, If I hadn't been blessed this year with adhesive capsulitis in both shoulders, I would have been on the golf course trying to maintain my 10 handicap. In between golf I'd still have been watching Badgers but two frozen shoulders put paid to golf and many other activities. Its unusual to have this condition in both shoulders at the same time but I guess I was just lucky. It is an extremely painful condition and I sympathise with any one who is suffering or has suffered this condition. Back to Brock though. For me, all the effort and discomfort is worthwhile to catch a glimpse of this shy nocturnal creature. It's a bonus to grab a good photograph or video sequence in good light, it's a pleasure to understand more about one of our largest wild animals and I feel it's a privilege to enter their domain and to be able to watch them in the wild.
Badger watching and badger photography are a challenge, for sure. The photography came first but since moving out of town to the countryside in 2000, I've watched the badgers on a few occasions but its only in the last three years (2008 in particular) that I've spent serious amounts of time watching and filming badgers. I never tire of the effort required to get as close as possible to Brock without being spotted or scensed in the light breeze. (Is that a new word, discovered by scent)? They are so damn cautious too and generally very shy so great care must be taken when watching them and filming them. Another reason for watching badgers, they are fun to watch. If you catch a group of them at play it's quite mesmerising. Their antics are often hilarious both at play and when grooming. There is so much more to badgers than other wildlife and they all muck in to help each other whether it involves grooming, educating the youngsters to fight and forage, or with housekeeping and bed making duties. (Left) This is how I react to midge bites. These ones are three days old and not so irritating as when new. Midges have an uncanny knack of finding their way between gloves and jacket sleeves, into your hair and on the forehead through the space in your headnet - I hate midges. So all the gear isn't purely for camouflage purposes, it doubles up as protection from midges! When you feel a midge land on your skin you immediately want to flatten it and if it bites you, the urge to rub or scratch is instant. When watching Brock however, your movements must be slow and timed when Brock is not looking your way, thus the dilemma and my hatred for mozzies. You can't plaster yourself with midge repellant either as Brock would get wind of this right away. I hate midges, did I say that already? As I referred to on another page, I cannot deny I am quite hooked on watching and filming badgers and the more time I spend in their presence, I realise the many similarities badgers share with the human world. They have families and distinct social groups. Like humans, their behaviour is greatly influenced by their need for homes and an area to play in and to provide a source of food and water. Living much of the time as a family unit, you have the opportunity to observe a range of behaviours through interaction that you won't find in other wild UK species. The more I learn about badgers the more I respect them and marvel at their survival over the years. Without being 'airy fairy' about it, I also enjoy being alone in the woods observing nature. Sitting in full camo gear you see so much wildlife that would normally never come near if you were crashing noisily through the undergrowth. I've had robins and wrens flit on branches just a few feet from me as they go about their business. Young deer have trotted by in the evening sunlight oblivious to my presence. If only I'd had my cameras focussed on that trail . . . Buzzards, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, field mice and owls have all blessed me with their close proximity. I've also started to read about the flaura and fauna of my surrounding countryside and realised how little I know about things underfoot and around me. Sitting in the woods, you are alone with your thoughts even if you are concentrating on the sett area for movement. Aye its a good time to reflect and toss a few things around in my head. An I.T. Manager during the day, this is such a welcome contrast in the evenings and I can still combine my liking for technology and gadgets with badger watching and photography. Why badgers? Well the truth is I still get excited at the sight of a wee black and white striped snout as it appears slowly from the earth. I guess you have to experience this to understand it fully. Given that the vast majority of people only see dead badgers by the roadside and have never seen a live badger, they are missing out on so much. To enter their world, to get close to them, to understand their way of life which until recently was still much of a mystery simply adds to the fascination of badger watching and photography. (Right) A photograph of one of my two Gamespy cameras mounted on a tree to monitor a badger sett. The Gamespy cameras are activated by infrared (a change in heat source triggers them) and can be configured to take a still photograph or a small video sequence. They work extremely well and are a godsend when trying to establish if a sett is used, how many badgers are resident, what times they exit and return to the sett etc etc. They will operate for up to 60 days on one set of cells. The likes of Dr. Ernest Neil and friends had to spend hours in situ gathering activity data. I can install one of these at a sett and leave it to collect pictures and useful data. All the images are date and time stamped. Ya beauty! To read more about the game spy cameras and to view images captured with them, see the Equipment & Techniques page.
Badger Watching Tips   Badger watching should be easy enough, find their trails or better still, locate a badger sett, sit down and wait. Sorted!  If the conditions are right, sometimes it is as simple as that  and it would be wrong to dissuade others from try to spot Brock by making out it was a complex process with a low rate of success. You can however, increase your changes of seeing a badger by following a few simple guidelines. The key to successful watching is to avoid alerting the badgers to your presence and be prepared to wait in silence with limited movement. Most badgers are wild and remain so. Some become tolerant of humans under special circumstances and this usually involves regular feeding. Under controlled conditions however, you will not see the full range of behaviours that wild badgers demonstrate. The first thing to remember is to approach the sett stealthily. Aim to be there at least an hour or so before dusk or their general exit time. Approach from downwind, and make as little noise as possible as the badgers may already be above ground when you arrive. Although consistent to an extent, Brock is always ready to surprise you by being inconsistent! If they do become aware of your presence, they may never resurface that evening or may go underground for another half hour or so. A badger photographed during its cleaning routine. Badgers use their hind legs for scratching just as much as their front legs and in the photograph (above), it appears as if the badger is waving to me. Location and Time. Unlike other animals that move around from place to place, badgers have a clearly defined home in the form of a sett so that's probably the best place to stake out. Badgers are generally nocturnal coming out after its dark or as its getting dark. So as well as knowing where to watch, we now have a rough idea of when to watch. Sit ya bum down well away from the sett just as its getting dark and wait. Clothing is possibly the first consideration. Best to wear dark clothing that blends in with the background and the material should be soft so as not to generate noise. Badgers see movement fairly well, so it is important to keep still. Do not silhouette yourself against the skyline, sitting in front of, behind, or nested up in a tree or bush is a good place to view from. You should be comfortable too as you may have a long wait. Keep your distance from the sett to avoid Brock catching your movement or scent. Binoculars are ideal if you have them – better to sit further away and watch with binoculars than to try and get too close.   A badger’s sense of smell is very keen and is reckoned to be about 800 times better than that of a human - wow! You need to make sure that you approach and watch downwind from the sett. So looking at the sett, the wind should be in your face so as to carry your scent away from Brock. I usually take a birch stick with me as a walking aid and on the top is a tiny screw with some sheep's wool attached. The wool is very fine and light and if you hold the stick aloft you can quickly see the wind direction. Try not to walk over the sett entrances or the main badger paths as your scent can linger and make Brock a bit edgy. If you can climb a tree or gain high ground, watch from there. Being above ground means that your scent is drifting above the badgers than at ground level. Of course, availability of trees, suitable branches and comfort all come in to play. Remember, you may have to descend from the tree in the semi darkness so don't be too adventurous. Some people use an inflatable cushion which makes sitting for hours on a branch a little more bearable. A folded coat or jumper can also be used. I have a dodgy hip and can't climb trees but watching from ground level gives perfectly good results. Being downwind from Brock is the most important aspect of badger watching. Dress for the conditions and check the weather forecast. When you are sitting still, your circulation is not working at peak efficiency and you can become cold very quickly. Bring a torch with you as well. I use one of these LED head torches and it leaves both your hands free to fiddle with gear, and to find your way home. Badgers often appear early and in good light. Freeze when you see one, don't move until they are looking the other way and if you are downwind, they may not get spooked. I remember one evening when I was setting up equipment just a few yards from a sett when Brock emerged. Keeping still, Brock sniffed looking directly at me but as I didn't move and was crouched down fairly low in any case, he wasn't spooked. He went about his business and I was able to retire to a safe distance. Watching badgers and photographing badgers creates a dilemma. I recommend leaving the cameras at home for 'good' watching. Clicking shutters, whirring video camera motors and bursts of flash light may spook Brock and limit his time above ground. Simply watching, will allow you to learn and see much more of Brock. Badgers tend to exit their sett, have a clean or a play, then move off to their foraging grounds to return early morning. You can select your viewing times accordingly. I've been tracking exit and return times to sett for one group of badgers by means of a Gamespy camera and the data is available elsewhere on this site. A row deer feeding by the stream near the woods where I watch one family of badgers. I stalked this one for 100 metres with the camera and a 300mm lens. Hand held and in low light, it's not pin sharp but acceptable at this size. Canon 5D, 300mm F4 L As soon as I clicked the shutter, this deer took off. I was the other side of the Kaimburn stream and about 20 yards away knee deep in high grass.   The welfare of the animal must always come first and I try to leave the way I came, stealthily and hopefully without disturbing Brock. I take pride in sneaking away from a sett without Brock ever having been aware of my presence. This is part of the fun element of man 'v' the wild. So please, show Brock some respect and as a means of a thank you, try not to disturb this fascinating species. That's it folks, some hints to get you started on your badger watching and I go into more detail on the photography side of things on other pages. feel free to write me or ask questions via the forum page. Have fun!