Juveniles (including badgers and video)

A mini theme tonight, partly as a reason to include some other local wildlife in addition to the current stars of the garden. First up then is this young moorhen, firmly in its adolescent stage.

The herring gull adolescents are mid-moult, and are spending much of their time ducking and diving in the water to clean away the dust created by the moult. The rest of the time they harass and chase each other.

The starring youngsters though are the badgers. Just one of them this evening…

And in the absence of a photographic fox, here's a promised video. This is a lengthy sequence (around 5 minutes) of clips taken last night. They are edited, but in sequence and give something of an idea of just how busy it can get out there. It starts with the young badgers while I was photographing them, and from there on it's a mix of foxes and badgers, sometimes in the same clip. The badger that appears at around 3 minutes is an adult. The black cat is a very regular interloper. :cat:

Camera note: birds taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens; badger with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM ; and video from the Bushnell Trophy Cam.

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This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. derWandersmann

    16 Aug 2012

    Very entertaining vid, Words … it took me a while to realise that blinking light was you, not until I caught the human form behind it.
    And did that fox leave a "calling card" of some sort, or did he change his mind?

    It's funny how that young badger was instantly recognisable as a youngster.

  2. Words

    16 Aug 2012

    dW, I was about half way down the garden in the video. Not close enough really to see me (which is how I like it). It's pretty busy out there for most of the night. The fox was 'scent marking'.

  3. derWandersmann

    17 Aug 2012

    That's what it looked like, yet none of the other animals seemed to pay any attention.

  4. jjd1

    18 Aug 2012

    Great vid with so much going on in the night in the garden great to see it.

  5. Words

    18 Aug 2012

    dW, I think they all scent mark the same spot,. Foxes tend to mark places where there is NO food, which may also explain why it gets ignored.

  6. Words

    18 Aug 2012

    James, thanks!

  7. jjd1

    19 Aug 2012

    You are welcome.

  8. SittingFox

    20 Aug 2012

    Those badger photos! You must be delighted 😀

  9. Words

    20 Aug 2012

    Adele, yes I have to admit to being just a little chuffed about the badgers. I think there are at least four that use the garden (two adults, and assorted youngsters). 😀

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