Badgers By Moonlight

By the silver sheen of a moon waxing to full I went out to see if I could film the Badgers. My video doesn't have infra red ability but it is supposed to be able to film in very low light conditions. However the image quality suffers, but as an experiment I thought I would give it a try.

I headed to a location where I knew the badgers regularly investigate as a feeding spot, its muddy and good for worms. I started off by scattering the ground with Peanuts and set up the camera to overlook the spot, much of it bathed in moonlight.

I retreated about forty or fifty yards once the camera was rolling and waited. Each tape will only produce an hours worth of footage, and as the first hour neared ending I got up in readiness to change the tape. As I stood, I smelt the scent of the badgers. Normally I would hear them first but tonight it was the smell that alerted me first. I could see no sign but as I strained my hearing I could hear them. I stayed still until I could see them and after fifteen or so minutes, and after the tape will have ended, seven of the badgers came into view. It was fascinating to watch them eating the peanuts as the tactic for getting the most seemed to be stand over a pile and eat backwards.

When I was able to return to the camera, the Badgers had up ended the tripod and camera, into the mud, before going to feed. It took a while to clean this and review the footage, had they been sooner I think it would have worked. However plan B will require me to use bondage on the camera.