The nights are dark, the snow has been in the air and the wildlife has been active in the evening watch hide. With fewer visitors, the cameras have been catching much of the activity as well as our weekly live streams from the hide on Facebook.
Two Pine martens (Sue Parker)
The female Pine Marten that we have been following from previous blogs has continued to be seen at the hide, sometimes enjoying a hen’s egg as a treat. On our night cameras, however, we have picked up a second Pine Marten in at the same time as our female. Unfortunately, the bright inferred light makes it hard to see any markings, but it is great to know there are at least two visiting at the moment.
Female Marten
As we know, the female Pine Marten is not confident around the Badgers and this week has been finding new ways of avoiding them to come into the platform. Using the surrounding trees to come from above and even jumping from the tall canopy onto the roof of the hide! A tactic used by the Pine Martens at the old hide, this female seems to be showing her acrobatic side too.
Badger with sand on its nose from digging (Kate Mennie)
Our Badgers continue to be quieter as we head to the end of November after their feast in the Autumn. The two Badger cubs from this year are now fully grown and showing their strength by knocking over the logs on the platform. They have been seen coming in with the mother and feeding happily together. At the Badger sett, they will continue to gather bedding to keep warm as the cool weather arrives. You can see the sandy soil on the badger’s coat and claws as they feed on a wet night.
Follow the bog to keep up to date and visit our website for availability for the coming month.