Nature features

The key to watching rare or very shy animals is simply the scout motto – be prepared! This will help you guess where and when you will find them. Badgers are a perfect example of a shy creature that takes a lot of preparation to view.

To watch badgers you have to become a detective and follow the clues left for you. It helps to understand that badgers have poor eyesight but an acute sense of smell. They use their noses to follow the same routes each night as they venture out of the underground sett to feed. The tracks often become worn and it’s easy to spot the routes in daylight a day or two before watching. Wildlife expert Gavin Hageman had picked a clearly defined badger track and checked the expected wind direction so that he and BBC Oxford's Jo Thoenes could lie downwind of the badger when it appeared.

They arrived at the sett at about 8pm and lay in the undergrowth making sure they had a clear view down the badger track. As it gradually got darker, a young cub came trundling down the path towards them. It stopped about three metres away and they could hear it snorting and snuffling as it used its nose and claws to hunt for worms in the leaf litter.

Cubs often come out before the adults because they are young and naïve about potential threats. Just when they thought it couldn’t get any better, another cub turned up, and eventually there were about five of them! It was actually hard to leave as the cubs were literally getting under their feet. The wind was perfect and the naivety and boldness of the cubs could not have been more apparent.

Click on the links below to hear what happened!

Try it yourself

Why not have a go at watching badgers yourself? It is very important that you do not disturb the sett, but if you do your preparation well you can see them quite easily at this time of year. However, it is often easier and can be very rewarding to go wildlife-watching with an expert, so why not come along to one of BBOWT’s organised badger watching events this summer? For more information visit the BBWOWT or reserve websites. (links at the top right of this page)