Badger-Watching in Mid Wales

Some video footage which I took recently on a lovely sunny evening in mid Wales. I was in the hide with ten others, most of whom were taking photos, so that is the clicking you can hear in the background:

Badgers Mutual-Grooming

Some mutual-grooming and a bit of rough-and-tumble at the badgers' sett:

Hopefully, some cubs will be appearing above ground before too long.

Badgers Digging Out Their Sett

Some recent activity at the badgers' sett I've been monitoring:

Badgers Mating

My trail camera captured this badger mating behaviour recently, which is hopefully a sign that there will be cubs at this sett this season:

Grey Squirrel in Snow

Some footage of a Grey Squirrel feeding in the snow, filmed on the same day as the last video:

Still hoping for some snow here this year!

Foxes in Clyne Woods, Swansea

I bought a new camcorder recently, and have used it a few times trying to film some Foxes in my local woods. Here's some footage which I took on September 6th, which was virtually the first time I'd used it:

Foxes Eating Bread

There's a woman near me who feeds Foxes most evenings, and on this occasion I was able to stand nearby and film them eating the titbits she'd put out for them:

Grey Seals on Worm's Head, Gower

Here's a compilation of some clips of Grey Seals on Worm's Head on the Gower Peninsula which I filmed on September 4th. There's a female, and a huge bull, and a baby which appears after the four-minute mark:

There are some more videos on my YouTube channel HERE. Feel free to subscribe to it!

Badgers Eating Peanuts

Much of my free time lately has been spent at a Badgers' sett I discovered about three months ago. After spending some time just observing them, I've set up a camouflage net near a couple of holes which are being used by a sow and her two babies. This is giving me great close views from only two or three metres away. They are now coming out before dark, generally around 9 p.m., and this clip was filmed at about 9.20 p.m. on June 1st. I took it on my Canon 7D with a 90mm lens:

Some photos to follow soon!

Badger on a Log

I've been feeding this Badger for a couple of weeks now, and he turns up about 11.30 p.m. each night without fail. I assumed he (or she) must come from Clyne Woods, a few hundred yards away, and reach this field via the large and sometimes overgrown gardens of the houses behind. The only problem to this theory was that there is a stream running between the field and the gardens, so how was it getting across? I then noticed a large tree that had fallen across the stream, which could conceivably provide a route over it. Only way to find out was to leave some food out on the tree, and set up my trail camera nearby, which is what I did. Here are the results of three nights' footage:

In fact, the fallen tree was a veritable highway, with - as well as the Badger - squirrels, birds, mice, rats, and various domestic cats, all using it to cross the brook. A Fox also appeared at the end of the log, but seemed disturbed by the red lights emitted by the camera, and soon disappeared, as did two dogs which briefly popped their heads in front of the lens.

Last night - Sunday into Monday - was the first time the Badger hasn't shown in the last two weeks. I only hope it hasn't been culled!

Badgers in Mid Wales

A few shots taken on a Badger-watching trip to mid Wales on August 11th - the same location I went to for the first time last year: 

Badger in the Suburbs

Just a quick post before I go off to watch the football.

I recently set up my trail camera in a field about a mile from home, just to see if the foxes that were active there earlier in the summer were still there. I left a little food in front of the camera to attract in any passing wildlife. No Foxes appeared, but, surprisingly as this is a suburban area, a Badger came to help itself to the goodies. After seeing this, I've left out food most nights for the last week, enabling me to obtain this footage:

Badger on a Trail Camera

Just trying out a new trail camera I purchased a few days ago. I sprinkled a few peanuts on a likely-looking path in a Gower wood, and set up the camera for a couple of nights to see if anything took the bait.

It didn't take long for a Badger to show up:

Fox Cubs in Daylight

Here's some colour footage of the cubs to go with the earlier black and white. This is all from between about 6.15 and 6.30 p.m. on May 14th. Looks like the vixen has quite a handful with these four:

I went down again on Tuesday evening, and waited hidden behind some bushes about thirty yards away, downwind from the den, hoping to witness some action. After three hours in the cold and wind, not a glimpse. Must have been my smelly socks that kept them safely underground!

Fox and Cubs

A little footage filmed recently on my trail camera - on the night of May 13th and 14th. The cubs seem to appear above ground any time between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. The film flickers a little at the beginning, but I got some quite nice footage of the vixen feeding the four youngsters, and of the little cuties scurrying around in front of the camera:

I also got some colour daylight footage, which I might post later.

Fox Cubs

A pleasant surprise this evening when I popped down to check the trail camera which I had left out at one of my Fox dens.  As I was passing the first den, some movement near the holes caught my eye, and I was amazed to see three or four tiny Fox cubs (kits in America?) wandering around. I dived down behind a bush to get out my equipment (ooh, er!), and was able to set up only about twenty metres from them. They barely seemed to notice I was there, only looking with mild interest in my direction when I fired off a burst from my camera:

By the size of them, and by the fact that I haven't seen them before, I wouldn't be surprised if this is their first time above ground. Anyway, after a few minutes, as the hazy sun disappeared, they went underground, and didn't re-emerge in the next half-hour, so I let them be, only to return later, but there was no sign of them this time. The weather doesn't look good for photography for the next day or two, but I've left my trail camera nearby to monitor them, so here's hoping for some more footage and photographs of them as they grow over the next few weeks.

Grey Squirrel Nibbling Nuts

Apologies for posting another squirrel video, but I've just bought an external microphone with a windshield to try and cut down on wind-noise, which was marring some of my previous video efforts. Just trying it out with this little film:

By the way, is anyone else finding this blog slow to load, as someone has reported to me it's slow for him?

Fox on a Trail Camera

I picked up my trail camera on Friday evening, and here's some of the footage it captured; all taken between 7.37 and 8.56 p.m. on May 2nd:

Pretty sure this is a different Fox to the one in my previous post, as this is near the other den at the far end of the field.
I wish I'd taken my big lens out with me, because, as I was walking up through Singleton Park, I located a Tawny Owl, and was able to stand right underneath it as it hooted, before flying off toward Brynmill Park. Would've made a great shot, but I only had a smallish lens with me.
And then there were the approachable Wheatears on the beach earlier.
 Anyone else find they get the best photos opps. when they've left their gear behind?!

Chance Encounter with a Fox

I think now is the time of year when the first Fox-cubs begin to appear above ground, so, on Tuesday evening, I went down to what I've now begun to call my "Fox Field", where I first started seeing Foxes last year. There are two fox dens visible in the field, and I set up my trail camera near one of them, hoping to capture any signs of activity. I passed the second den on my way back, stopping to photograph the holes, when I spied a Fox watching me from only about thirty yards away, on the other side  of a small stream that borders the field. It didn't seem too worried by my presence, and gave me time to delve into my bag and get out my camera and big lens, enabling me to fire off a few shots at about a 1/200 of a second:

It then proceeded to casually stroll further into the large overgrown garden it was in, before settling down for a snooze in the long grass, unfortunately almost out-of-sight of my camera. It was only 6.30 p.m., and the first Fox I've seen out on a summer evening this year. Hopefully, the first of many such encounters.

Tame Squirrel Eating Nuts

Another little film from Sunday. This Grey Squirrel hopped on the table beside me to help himself to some peanuts. Watch how he comes right up to the camera and evens climbs onto it at the end: