As June comes to an end, we update on the activity at the wildlife hide over the past couple of weeks. With the longest day falling last week, it has given a great opportunity for seeing the wildlife in daylight whilst watching the sun go down, creating some impressive sunsets over the distant hills.
Tawny Owlet
On an early evening stroll nearby to the hide, this young Tawny Owl was screeching in the dense forest and was not startled by the presence of a human, managing a couple of photos. With tasty treats being put out for the evening’s wildlife, the birds have kept a keen eye as they now have fresh fledgelings to feed. The tame Blackbird is the first to come in to feed two chicks, demanding constant attention. A fresh flock of young Blue tits, with their more mottled tones, have perched waiting for parents to feed them insects.
Blue Tit Fledgeling
Female Badger
With the lighter evening, we may have expected the Badgers not to appear until much later in the evening, but luckily this clan are not afraid of the increased risk during daylight hours so have been continuing to come in early. One confident female, who has an obvious limp is the first to arrive and enjoys the first helping of food. A total of six different Badgers have been observed over the past couple of weeks, including two cubs. They are now growing to the same size as the mother, but still have the energetic and adventurous behaviour you would expect. Two new logs have provided them with a good playground to climb and jump on. One way to tell them apart now is by their tails that are still to grow and the lack of hair on the back of their legs, as they start to grow their adult hairs.
Badger cub in for food
Keep up to date to with all the activity at the wildlife hide, in preparation for when we can hopefully open to the public. Follow Speyside Wildlife and keep a look on our Facebook page for updates and live videos coming soon.