On set(t) with BadgerCam

The current restrictions on movement mean that it is less easy to check on my trail cameras.  When I am after otters I try to get the cameras as close to the water as possible to get better pictures.  I thought if it rained a lot it would be difficult if I couldn't rescue the cameras so have set them up to keep an eye on some badgers.

Badgers are very sociable animals and live in family groups (clans) so I was very pleased to have more than one in shot (something that rarely happens when I put down peanuts on a trail because badgers usually forage alone).  In this video there are two.  Watch with the sound on so you can hear their contact noises.  Badgers make quite a wide range of sounds - I think this one is known as whickering.  This montage is of three consecutive clips but the camera takes a short break every 20s (usually for 1-2s) so I am not sure that it is always the same two badgers.

And then three.  More whickering and they rub against each other to spread the family scent - known as allomarking.

Badgers are clean and houseproud animals and change their bedding regularly.  Here is a rather tousled badger (probably mother!), dragging out the used bedstraw.  All this makes it easy to see which sett entrances are in use.

Depending on the restrictions I hope to have more videos in a few weeks' time, and possibly the first sighting of this year's cubs.  The cubs will have been born a couple of months ago and usually appear above ground at about 12 weeks of age.