Last night I attempted to get out and see if I could observe the badgers at one of the five setts there are locally. However, almost as soon as I set off the heavens opened. I don’t actually mind the rain and while I dressed appropriately, the rain was making the ground slick and very slippery. I am normally a good stalker and can often get quite close without making my presence know to any wildlife I am trying to watch. But last night because of the traitorous conditions under foot, I found it very difficult to move silently. While I could not see what I had disturbed, I think I alerted the badgers to my presence. Even so I found myself a spot to locate myself and waited to see if I could see the badgers.
Locally in the five setts there were seventeen cubs this year that I can be sure of. The number may be as many as twenty-three but that could be an over-estimate as there could be that chance that I double counted some of the cubs. Thus I will settle on the number of seventeen as a definite number of new cubs this year. There have also been losses as I know of at least three adults that have been killed by traffic and I have been told of two that were shot by a farmer. Something that is illegal but without proof or the bodies there is no way of proving the cause of death. However over all the population is reasonably healthy and stable.
Thus I was hoping that I would get to see at least some of the badgers, I was in an excellent spot but not a sign did I see. After four hours I was very cold and wet, so I decided to make my way home. Some times that’s the way you make good plans but see nothing.
However, as any reader that has followed my move of Blog site will know, any day that I see the Red Kites is a good day for me. Rather than calling them red letter days, I call them “Red Kite Days”. Therefore I have been excited to see over the past few days one of the red kites coming to feed in the fields near my home. I spotted it initially less than a week ago out of the back window, as I sat typing. I had my binoculars to hand and my eyes were not deceiving me. Then it was there the following day too. As the breading season is now over for them, incidentally we had nine chicks successfully fledged, they are now venturing out looking for food further away from the nest sites. As they will follow methodical patterns, it is possible to see them on a regular basis at reasonably predictable times. Thus it is with this Red Kite.
I can happily report that today is a Red Kite Day.
Locally in the five setts there were seventeen cubs this year that I can be sure of. The number may be as many as twenty-three but that could be an over-estimate as there could be that chance that I double counted some of the cubs. Thus I will settle on the number of seventeen as a definite number of new cubs this year. There have also been losses as I know of at least three adults that have been killed by traffic and I have been told of two that were shot by a farmer. Something that is illegal but without proof or the bodies there is no way of proving the cause of death. However over all the population is reasonably healthy and stable.
Thus I was hoping that I would get to see at least some of the badgers, I was in an excellent spot but not a sign did I see. After four hours I was very cold and wet, so I decided to make my way home. Some times that’s the way you make good plans but see nothing.
However, as any reader that has followed my move of Blog site will know, any day that I see the Red Kites is a good day for me. Rather than calling them red letter days, I call them “Red Kite Days”. Therefore I have been excited to see over the past few days one of the red kites coming to feed in the fields near my home. I spotted it initially less than a week ago out of the back window, as I sat typing. I had my binoculars to hand and my eyes were not deceiving me. Then it was there the following day too. As the breading season is now over for them, incidentally we had nine chicks successfully fledged, they are now venturing out looking for food further away from the nest sites. As they will follow methodical patterns, it is possible to see them on a regular basis at reasonably predictable times. Thus it is with this Red Kite.
I can happily report that today is a Red Kite Day.
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