It was a wet and windy week at the Wildlife Hide, with brief sightings including footage from our night vision cameras. As we head into the later part of March, the animals will be getting more active as they prepare for the arrival of young back. The evenings are getting lighter meaning a change in meeting time for guests as we head towards British Summer time next weekend.
Brave badger (Nightcam)
A couple of Badgers didn’t get the message about the time change for dinner time as footprints in the snow showed one night. The wildlife hide is baited each night, so they do become aware of the patterns of when the food is available, some awake before the others in search of a ‘buffet’ breakfast. The rain is a benefit to the Badgers as it allows the ground the be softer, allowing them to dig for earthworms.
Wet badger in the Snow (Kate Mennie)
We welcomed the Grant Arms hotel’s holiday group in this week, with TV presenter Iolo Williams as the celebrity guide for their week. Although the weather was atrocious, we hope that the enjoyed their evening in the hide, sheltering from the rain and getting good views of both Badger and Pine Marten.
Acrobatic Pine Marten (NightCam)
As mentioned in a previous blog, a variety of new visiting Pine Martens have been noted in the past month, paying close attention to their bib markings. Whether these Pine Martens are just passing or have their den nearby, a couple of them have been in for a few visit. The wildlife hide is only open for three days this month sightings are sparse, but one young female has been coming to enjoy some food more regularly. We will need to wait till May to find out if this female or others are successful in breeding, but continued sightings will help us determine this.
As the wildlife becomes more active, come and see for yourself what mammals you can see at our Wildlife Hide.