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Watching the badgers

Assuming that you have followed all the rules and got yourself into position in good time and without disturbing the badgers, assuming that there are indeed badgers in the sett, and assuming that you have got there at the right time, it should not be too long before the first unmistakeable black and white face appears at one of the sett entrances. This is the moment when you have to be as still and as quiet as possible, as the badger's first actions on emergence will usually be to check for danger, by testing the air with its hyper-sensitive nose, looking around for any strange shapes that were not there the night before, and by listening with its small but highly efficient ears. One false move on your part at this stage could ruin the whole evening.

Once the badger has emerged and is satisfied that the coast is clear, it will usually drop its guard a little, but you must still be careful to avoid making any sound that might alert it to your presence and frighten it in. Female badgers with young cubs may be particularly sensitive. And you must also be sensitive, sensitive to the behaviour of the badgers you are observing. The trick is to watch the badger - and I mean really watch the badger. Specifically, watch how it reacts to any sounds or movements that you happen to make, and take note of those reactions. I have found, by paying attention to the badgers that I watch, that there are some things that I can do which do not worry them unduly, and that there are some things which I must avoid doing at all costs, as the result will be the sight of the back end of a badger disappearing rapidly underground!

Over time, you will get used to the badgers and their ways - and with any luck, they will also get used to you. It is inevitable that, no matter how hard you try, the badgers will from time to time detect your presence. As long as you do not give them too much of a fright, it is likely that they will gradually become accustomed to you, and you will be able to get closer to them. Peanuts and raisins are always a great incentive for the badgers to tolerate you and the occasional disturbances that you cause.

Providing food for the badgers is particularly useful when you are trying to photograph them or take video film. It is not essential though; many people have great evenings at the sett, getting really close to "their" badgers and taking superb photos and video film, without feeding the animals. For these people it is all the more rewarding to know that what they have experienced, and captured on film, was totally natural behaviour.

Although the badgers may tolerate your disturbances up to a point, you should not push your luck. If you are constantly frightening the badgers in, they will become more wary and shy, and may start emerging later and later. This means poor watches for you and more importantly, it also means reduced foraging and social time for the badgers. And the badgers must come first - if you are constantly disturbing them, then watch from further away, or stop watching altogether.

What you actually see when the badgers are out will depend on a whole host of different factors. The time of year, the weather conditions, the number of badgers in the sett and the mix of sexes and ages, whether or not you have placed food at the sett, and whether you disturb the badgers and if so to what extent, all of these will influence what the badgers do.

If you are lucky, you will get to know some of the badgers as individuals, recognising them by variations in their markings or by more obvious scars picked up in fights. I have managed to do this with a number of badgers at "my" sett over the years, and following the progress of individual badgers, and their children and grandchildren, adds a whole new dimension to badger watching.

Picture © Steve Clark, and used with his permission.

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Leaving the sett

Finally, when you leave the sett, you must still be mindful of the badgers. Leave with as much care as when you arrived, so as to avoid disturbing the animals. If you keep the badgers' interests at heart, then I am sure that you will be rewarded with some wonderful evenings at the sett.

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Additional picture credits

The Eurasian badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Steve Jackson. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.

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