Albert T Smith
30-03-2008, 19:14
I mentioned this to someone whilst on a walk.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34383&l=fbe6e&id=645681893
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34383&l=fbe6e&id=645681893
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View Full Version : Badger Watching Albert T Smith 30-03-2008, 19:14 I mentioned this to someone whilst on a walk. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34383&l=fbe6e&id=645681893 MardyBum66 01-04-2008, 16:02 Some great photos there Albert! How lucky for you to be able to see the badgers so close up - and for the dogs too! Albert T Smith 01-04-2008, 18:48 I doubt if I'll ever have wild Badger's as close as they were. My only regret is that I did not take more care when photographing them. I often wish that I'd photographed the sheer expression of dis-belief on my dogs face. It was the first time they had seen one. Instead of barking their heads off they were absolutely dumbfounded. A great evening spent in a chalet in mid wales. During that week we spent a fortune on nuts and honey. But it was worth every penny. A word of warning to anyone: Please do not ever let a dog loose with a wild badger. The Badger will either kill the dog or do it great harm. scoobz 01-04-2008, 21:41 It saddened me to see 2 badgers dead in the road in Cornwall recently. You always feel that they have a hard enough life with one thing and another without losing some in this way. taxman 01-04-2008, 22:18 It saddened me to see 2 badgers dead in the road in Cornwall recently. You always feel that they have a hard enough life with one thing and another without losing some in this way. I saw a few dead just after Christmas in Leicestershire. Very sad I know of an active badger sett. Maybe we could think about having an evening walk culminating in a viewing sometime. Obviously I'd like to get some guidance from the Sheffield Badger Group first, I have their details. scoobz 02-04-2008, 06:36 I saw a few dead just after Christmas in Leicestershire. Very sad I know of an active badger sett. Maybe we could think about having an evening walk culminating in a viewing sometime. Obviously I'd like to get some guidance from the Sheffield Badger Group first, I have their details. That's a great idea! Would be nice if you could lead the way with this Taxman. You'll have my support and attendance wherever it takes place. rainbow sky 02-04-2008, 09:36 I mentioned this to someone whilst on a walk. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34383&l=fbe6e&id=645681893 Great pictures Albert. I have never seen a badger up close but last year we had a visit to our garden by a fox and it used to come right up to patio windows. We would put a little food out at night and put all lights out and just wait, the kids loved it to watch it up close, now and again it would stop eating and just stare up at us, fascinating it was. We gave it about a week then stopped putting food out because I know some neighbours have got rabbits and guinea pigs in their garden and didn't want to take any chances but it was lovely to see him while it lasted. neoteric 02-04-2008, 10:06 I saw a few dead just after Christmas in Leicestershire. Very sad I know of an active badger sett. Maybe we could think about having an evening walk culminating in a viewing sometime. Obviously I'd like to get some guidance from the Sheffield Badger Group first, I have their details. Great idea count me in, I'd love to see a live Badger, I've only ever seen a dead ones by the roadside. Albert T Smith 02-04-2008, 11:49 Great pictures Albert. I have never seen a badger up close but last year we had a visit to our garden by a fox and it used to come right up to patio windows. We would put a little food out at night and put all lights out and just wait, the kids loved it to watch it up close, now and again it would stop eating and just stare up at us, fascinating it was. We gave it about a week then stopped putting food out because I know some neighbours have got rabbits and guinea pigs in their garden and didn't want to take any chances but it was lovely to see him while it lasted. I've fed probably the Great,Great Gran-Father Fox, The Great Gran Father, Gran Father, Father and now one of his sons almost every night since about 1980. I still feel the same every time I see him. Don't worry about the Rabbits or Guinea Pigs. The owner should have taken precautions for their pets safety. If they haven't, really they should not be keeping any animal restricted to a cage. I'll be on the Badger watch if one is organised. I've spent a few hours previously at it. One evening I took my wife and we were delighted to see the cubs come out of the sett. About Mid-Night we returned home only to decide to go back and wait for dawn. That was a fantastic night but no way near those in Wales. My ever lasting regret will always be that I did not use my camera right. A wild Badger two foot in foot of the lens, still and looking directly at me and I make a right cock up of the photograph. When two of the Badgers came to the door opening sniffing and my two dogs had a smell at them through the crack was a sight that we'll probably never have again. The best things in life are free. parkwoman 02-04-2008, 20:10 Great idea count me in, I'd love to see a live Badger, I've only ever seen a dead ones by the roadside. Me too. Only seen dead ones, love to see one alive. pattricia 02-04-2008, 20:12 Great photos Albert. Godzilla 02-04-2008, 22:30 IA word of warning to anyone: Please do not ever let a dog loose with a wild badger. The Badger will either kill the dog or do it great harm. Raymond Greyhound inadvertently came across a badger one night and, being loose (we've learned a lot since then), he decided to 'have a go'. We managed to call him off, but not before the badger had bitten him in the chest and clawed his face. Needless to say, it cost us around £300 in total once we realised that he was full on infection - he had to have an absess drained and a course of antibiotics -and, of course this happened on a weekend when we had to have the 'out of hours vet'. The badger waddled off into the distance, hopefully not too distressed by his altercation. Ramond is now always on his lead when we do the night walk. Albert T Smith 04-04-2008, 18:14 Raymond Greyhound inadvertently came across a badger one night and, being loose (we've learned a lot since then), he decided to 'have a go'. We managed to call him off, but not before the badger had bitten him in the chest and clawed his face. Needless to say, it cost us around £300 in total once we realised that he was full on infection - he had to have an absess drained and a course of antibiotics -and, of course this happened on a weekend when we had to have the 'out of hours vet'. The badger waddled off into the distance, hopefully not too distressed by his altercation. Ramond is now always on his lead when we do the night walk. A great number of people still believe that the Badger is a push-over. In fact, I'll stand correcting here, his jaws are the strongest of any of our wild animals. Usually he goes about is life not bothering anyone else except the ' loud grunts that he makes ' and like most wild creatures lives a peaceful life. The place in Wales where I took the Photographs is really the only spot that I'll been able to be so close to one or more accurately close to six or seven. I've wished a hundred times that I had be more able when using the camera. I can still recall the Badger, shown on in my second or third photo, looking straight at me through the patio door just inches away and my two dogs mesmerized and stuck for barks!!. In years gone bye I've spent hours sat on a tree branch waiting in vain near to a Sett. If anyone knows a good Sett to watch, normally they keep it to themselves. From the gassing incident which we had way back in the 1960s, I do not blame them. Whilst I'm on about wild animals. Sometimes the story surfaces that the Fox does not have a natural predator so hunting is the only way to keep their numbers in check. Foxes have been hunted for century's and it as not made one iota of difference to the number except probably making the number increase with them moving where hunting cannot take place. Such as into the suburbs and inner city areas. The natural predator for a Fox is his paw nails. They continue to grow all of his natural life and sooner or later one gets broken. This eventually allows the paw to become infected. If he cannot walk or run he is unable to hunt. Full Stop. That is one reason why you should always try to include a tarmaced footpath when you take your dog a walk. It helps to grind his nails down, invariably a fox does not use the footpath. It would be interesting to have any information about the average age of the Town Fox opposed to the Country Fox. I'm sure that I read a book on this some years ago. |