Is spring in the air at the evening wildlife hide? We are coming to the end of the February and the animal’s behaviour begins to change. Since the last blog we had the coldest night, with temperatures in the area down to -19 degrees Celsius. Not surprisingly, the animals were quiet as they stayed warm in their homes and finding any food was hard with the ground being frozen solid. There has been a sudden thaw though and there are a few signs of spring.
Ice on the hide window
When there was snow on the ground it was easy to follow their footprints and know roughly how many Badgers were around each night. Now that that snow has begun to melt, regular visits into the hide has allowed us to observe increasing activity from the Badgers. One evening all six Badgers from the clan came for food over the course of an hour. This is great to see as two of them include the cubs from last year. They are now fully grown, and it is great to see them healthy after surviving the worst of the winter weather over the past few weeks. We hope that this year we will see more successful breeding for you all to enjoy as well. Generally, Badgers will be begin to give birth to their cubs in the setts now, with some in the Scottish Highlands breeding slightly later.
four of the six Badgers
After the lack of food, the Badgers are very hungry, with an increase in eating and a few fights between the males for the last few peanuts. The older adult bore is becoming very territorial with food especially with the younger males as he continues to dominate.
The Pine Martens have been very elusive this week, but the food has been eaten so we know they are around. Follow Speyside Wildlife’s blog, Instagram and Facebook for more regular updates and footage from the wildlife hide.