Badgers at a sett in a Lancashire valley

August 17, 2011;
One of the rather rare beautiful evenings of the summer provided an opportunity to watch badgers under good conditions. The sett, in heavily shaded woodland, had many entrances, some of which showed evidence of recent excavation.



In the deep shade as the light faded the first badger emerged at about 19.45 hours. This was soon followed by another and both began to search the bare earth for worms and grubs. As darkness fell further, more badgers appeared until at one time six individuals could be seen simultaneously. There was a range of sizes from adults to well-grown cubs.





Conditions for photography were very challenging and camera settings needed to be at the extreme. Flash was used occasionally and didn't appear to concern the badgers which carried on searching for food normally although they were quickly alerted by the slightest noise. However, the best photos were achieved in normal light despite being very poor. After a two hour watch the badgers were left to themselves.