Late night visitations

For a while the Big Boy Badger started coming earlier and earlier, perhaps as early as 6:15, and then as soon as there was the short blast of cold air he dropped off the radar. We've not had sighting of him for nearly a week but the peanuts being eaten (the squirrels have disappeared from the back garden in the past year), the badger box being emptied (could be local cats as we've seen them prowling around regularly) and the frequent digging of holes in the lawn, would all suggest he still visits. Time will tell but we'll keep the peanuts going out each night to make his visits worthwhile.

Project: Allotment

After six years of sitting on the waiting list we have finally been offered an allotment. 127 square metres of dirt to grow our own fruit and vegetables. No shade. Close to the water supply. And it even came with a bench, compost bin and shed already onsite.

 It's clearly been well looked after in the past and has only gone to seed in the past few months, not sure what happened to the previous owner but there are a lot of paving slabs on the site for paths.

So the family went down and conducted the first round of weeding, followed by some digging over and the planting of a couple of fruit bushes.

Plenty of work to be done but an exciting prospect for next season.

Gulls & Waders - or at least there should have been

So, like two old men with nothing better to do with their time John and I sauntered off to Wales, Margam Discovery Centre near Port Talbot to be precise, and joined an FSC Course on Gulls and Waders. The Centre is set in a country park so is nice for a morning stroll, in particular when the deer are rutting. We got a nice surprise rounding the rhododendron and stumbling across this big stag.

So, despite the quest for Gulls and Waders we kept a record of what we saw. The weather was truly atrocious, with horizontal rain, winds we couldn't stand up in, even some hail for good measure.

Robin, Wren, Blackbird, Siskin, Redwing, Long-tailed Tit, Crow, Dunnock, Pigeon, Chaffinch, Magpie, Jackdaw, Mistlethrush, Pied Wagtail, Moorhen, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Oystercatcher, Common Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Merlin, Shelduck, Redshank, Teal , Wigeon, Great-crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Pintail, Dunlin, Starling, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Mallard, Skylark, Mute Swan, Snipe, Little Egret, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Heron, Canada Goose, Kestrel.

A good number but the weather and other factors did not help with seeing too many waders. The Purple Sandpiper eluded us due to a quick receding tide and the Chough was a late arrival on the Sunday, missed by some. Still, had some additions to the life list and the stag sighting was a beautiful start to the day.

Harlequin Ladybird at last

The badger news has been limited recently, not because they haven't been coming but because they come, they eat, they trash the garden, they leave. Most of the time it is just Big Boy but occasionally he has been joined by at least one other, three has been a rarity these days. It'll be interesting to see if the numbers change over the winter. The visits are slightly earlier, closer to 9pm these days but the appetite for garlic bread, pizza, lasagna or bolognaise has not diminished. Despite the food natural instincts prevail and there are frequent holes dug in the lawn and the flower beds down the side of the house.

More interestingly today I positively identified a Harlequin Ladybird. I've seen some in the past that have perhaps been a Harlequin but have not been able to confirm it for sure. Described as the most invasive ladybird on earth, they will out-compete our native species and like the grey squirrels before them, leave us with pockets of our own that we strive to protect. Quite a pretty looking little thing though.

Destructive beasts

Not so much about a badger sighting more about a badger sounding and the destruction caused. Best intentions were made when repairing the fence between the two houses and securing the panel to the post. Or at least it seemed to be okay until 11pm Sunday night when the badger discovered its usual thoroughfare was blocked. For two hours it laboured over trying to find a way through. It did some digging. It pulled off one of the horizontal slats but no joy. The next night it began around 11pm, lasted for 20 minutes and then it resumed its efforts around half past midnight. Another slat was removed, and some of the panel splintered and a hole was forced between the panels. So, today I have dug a hole under the fence panel in the hope that they'll be slim enough to scramble under, in silence. We'll see.

Thick and fast moth action

Returned home today to find a moth on the whiteboard. Not sure when it made its way in as most of the windows were shut. Having consulted the book it looks like an Angle Shades, which is a beautifully abstract name, no explanation as to where the name originates. Apparently they tend to be in the Mediterranean but there are plenty of immigrants in the UK.

Banger and Beans Badger

Not much to add beyond the fact that it's possible Big Boy Badger was unpopular with his fellow sett-mates last weekend, having consumed bangers and mash with a sizeable portion of baked beans. The extent of his enjoyment was illustrated by licking clean of the badger box so that no tomato sauce remained. Not sure it beats his love of meatloaf or spaghetti bolognaise and garlic bread but it must be in the top five.

A pleasant surprise

The badgers have been enjoying themselves with the leftovers recently, particularly keen on sausages and any mince-based dishes. Last night it was some slightly old tortilla wraps which were the prized delight as the winner proudly held it aloft in his mouth and made for the Mexican Blossom for some privacy.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth (BBC.co.uk, May 2010)

The joy this week came from a great spotting of a Hummingbird Hawk-moth on the buddleia. The last sighting had been fleetingly on St Marys but today it spent a good while looking for nectar.

Aside from that, the birds on the beach have been varied, with a couple of Turnstone down at Whitecliff Park and some great close-ups of the Common Terns diving for fish in the swimming zone just yards from us at Sandbanks.

Butterfly bonanza & badgers bounce back

Like the rest of the country we have seen a boost in the butterflies in the garden making the most of the buddleia.

Nothing too earth-shattering but it's been nice to see so much activity - Large Whites, Peacocks, Gatekeepers, Commas, Red Admirals, Small Whites, Speckled Wood and some interesting looking moths which were too elusive to positively identify.

Also joined by an array of bumblebees, Buff-tailed and White-tailed, the return of the Southern Hawker dragonfly and what could have been a Common Hawker.

All this and the return of multiple badgers. On Friday night it was the three of them, but they only had food in the badger box and no peanuts so were not around long as one of them monopolised the box and did not share, although the other two were quite content about this suggesting some sort of pecking order. The alpha was Big Boy and he is clearly the male but the other two have been difficult to pin down as they've been irregular and it is always past 10pm and quite dark when they arrive. All three are much more skittish than the ones which visited last year, even the slightest sudden movement causes them to lift their heads and get ready to run. On Saturday and Sunday it was just two of them and they were quite happy to feed simultaneously from the badger box, obviously deciding there was plenty to share - chicken, gravy, peas, home-grown potatoes and some bread crusts. Saturday saw them have some leftover garlic doughballs which must rank as a favourite because they are the first items foraged and then they flee to the mexican blossom bush to devour in solitude.

Mother nature gives with one hand and takes with the other

So the celebrations of three badgers were cut short. The next night only two came and since then it's just been Big Boy gorging himself on a variety of foodstuffs. He thoroughly enjoyed garlic bread balls, and a big lump of noodles and last night he polished off a couple of bananas in addition to some pitta bread.

But whilst it was a shame that the badger bonanza stopped we were rewarded at the weekend whilst completing some pond maintenance. Having cleared a load of leaf matter from the bottom of the pond and working on relocating the pond pump two grass snakes scrambled out of the pond and made for the shadows. They had been regulars in the sun two years ago but had not made an appearance in recent times and what with the lack of pond life the suspicion was that they'd eaten up and moved on. Later that same day, once the pond had settled down again we were pleased to see a little frog pop his head up. He was not adult size but also seemed too large to have been spawned this year. That said, we have seen no evidence of spawn this year and only had one glimpse of an adult frog at all in the past twelve months.

And then to cap it all, this evening we had a surprise visitor, previously unseen in the garden. Although not rare, it was great to glimpse a male Southern Hawker dragonfly, and true to the description on the British Dragonfly Society website it buzzed us up close, sat in the fir tree for a few seconds, flew past the pond and was gone, a real treat.

And then there were three

The badgers have been noticeable by their absence this year with just Big Boy being the only visitor throughout Winter and Spring and then during the Summer he has refused to come any earlier than 10pm, but at least he has been loyal. He has taken much delight in garlic bread balls and noodles recently but last night we were surprised to see that he was joined by two new badgers. They all seem to have arrived at the same time and from over the field, rather than down the side of the playhouse where last year's ones emerged from. There was no animosity amongst them, the food was amicably shared and then when it was all gone, Big Boy remained on his owned just to make sure that all of the peanuts had been eaten. As it was getting dark it was difficult to discern too much about the new arrivals, suffice to say they were of good size, although we know ones born this year could already have reached the size of a cat by now, and the tail sizes did not give anything away as to sex. We will watch again tonight to see if all three return.

As an aside, two weeks ago we returned from a camping trip to the Isle of Wight, staying east of Ryde near Seaview. Nice little campsite near a nature reserve where we saw many of the usual species, along with a flock of Barnacle Geese and three foxes playing in a field. Got some nice close up sightings of a Little Egret and Grey Heron fishing on the seashore.

Avian lazarus

Whilst the plight of the solo Herring Gull chick had seemed desperate and then all was calm by his reappearance, things have got even more crazy as the second chick has popped up and they are both patrolling the roof of the bingo hall flexing their wings. They have obviously abandoned the nest which is visible from the office and found a more suitable location which is out of sight and it is only when they fancy a wander than we see them. The magpie seems to have given up for now and it is just down to the occasional pigeon to bother the chicks in search of food.

Big Old Badger continues to visit at 10pm on the dot and this week has been tucking into slightly soft strawberries and leftover pizza (which he prizes by scurrying off into the bush to devour in safety).

Steaming tension

Tuesday 9am and the Herring Gull chick is nowhere to be seen.
Tuesday 12:00pm and still no sign of the chick.
The tension is mounting like watching a bowl of porridge fresh from 3 minutes in the microwave as it slowly cools.
3pm....nothing
4.45pm.....and there he is waddling out to meet mum with some chips.

Springtime rooftop drama

On the roof of the Bingo Hall opposite the office two Herring Gull chicks have been wandering around waiting for the parents to pop down to Harry Ramsden's for their dinner. Currently they have stumpy little wings and are covered in downy grey feathers. Out the back of the office, on the roof of the six floor, a solitary chick was being minded by its parents, they having set up a nice sheltered nest in the corner of the roof.

Or rather that was the situation last Thursday. Today there is only one chick visibly on the Bingo Hall roof and he is being persistently harassed by a magpie. He's holding his own, waving his feeble little wings but is receiving no support or food from the parents. There is an adult Herring Gull sat on the chimney warming his rump but offering no protection so could be unconnected. And worse still, the chick on the back roof has also gone. It could be that they have fledged but their wings looked far too immature last week to start soaring over the cliffs.

Updates to follow....

The scuffle

It still only seems to be the one badger coming for food each night and we've not seen signs of the pair from last year at all, although three nights ago we had evidence of another badger on the scene. It was hard to make out anything distinctive but in the early hours two badgers had a ferocious fight on the front lawn for several minutes before parting ways. The visits of the big old boy are still quite late, around 10pm, and so the viewings are not great but he certainly likes his lasagne.

Wanderer returns

As the evenings get lighter the sightings improve and we've now seen a solitary badger hoovering up the peanuts around 21:30 on two consecutive nights. We're not convinced it is one of the gang from last year because it has a very grey coat and some quite distinctive stripes. The guess is it's a male as it has a very large tail, but either way he does not hang around. Although we've not seen him turning up yet, so we do not know if he's coming from down the side of the playhouse but he certainly left by way of the hole in the fence and out into the field. The hope had been that by the end of May we'd have seen a mother and cubs so fingers crossed.

The Siskins or rather a Siskin turned up last weekend to help demolish the nijer seeds but has not been seen since unfortunately.

Hissing badger

The badger(s) are coming around 22:00 these days but our sightings have only been sporadic. I stumbled across one the other night whilst coming in the back door, and was within two feet when it took a couple of steps forward, hissed loudly and then bolted down the side of the playhouse. We were both a little startled.

In other news, the Goldfinches are regulars on the front bird feeders but have rejected those in the back garden and are not using one feeder, perhaps because it bears more of a resemblance to a bird maximum security prison than a delightful seed feeder. Here's hoping the Siskins make a return as well. And then a few Common Tern sightings whilst out paddling-boarding last week. The distinctive cry made me look up, my balance went and it was all downhill from there.

The boys are back in town

...although in truth they haven't really been that far away throughout winter. We've been maintaining the food supply throughout the past few months, leaving out a handful or two of peanuts just to tide over any visitors and most nights they'd gone by morning. The only evidence it was badgers visiting the garden were the consistent holes dug in the lawn and flowerbeds. Until now. Taking a step out of the conservatory door I was stopped on the steps by movement in the flowerbed. A badger made a break for the playhouse but stopped when I froze, it turned and wandered up the lawn to within 3 feet of me and then trotted off down the side of the house and out through the hole in the fence. It was good to see the badgers are getting back to regular times, this time visiting just after 7pm. The ambition for this year is to see badger cubs frolicking on the lawn in the summer evening light. With the cubs expected to be born in February (assuming the ones visiting the garden have been successful), the earliest we will probably see them is May. Fingers crossed.

Dark bonanza

The badgers have clearly returned, digging holes across the lawn, a second attempt at uprooting the holly bush and destroying the daffodil shoots. Pleasantly enough the fox made a reappearance around 2am, with his 'whooping' call for some lady-friends, as he sauntered down the middle of the road before disappearing up the side of the house opposite.

Best of all though, the first sighting of a live hedgehog in Dorset in ten years. 6.15am in the pouring rain it sprinted across the road in front of the bike, hopped up the kerb and up someones drive. It's been far too long!

Poor display for Birdwatch

Despite the enticement of multiple bird feeders, home-made fat ball mix and apple slices it was a poor showing for the Big Garden Birdwatch. A few Sparrows, Tits, Jay, Magpie and a Great Spotted Woodpecker but nothing really of note, even the regular Starlings and Blackbirds was absent.

Visited the Stour at Iford Bridge again yesterday and had a decent sighting of a Little Egret and a fleeting glimpse of a pair of Kingfishers, but no sign of the Otters.

There's been little evidence of the badgers recently, with the peanuts left untouched most mornings but today the peanuts were gone and a few fresh holes had been dug in the garden, so perhaps they came around. Also, whilst doing some maintenance on the pond a big fat frog made its presence known popping up from behind the reeds. Good to see there still some life in there, the jury is still out on the newts.

Woodpecker bonanza

So the snowfall and freezing conditions have been harsh on the birds but the life has been flourishing in the garden. A new blend of fat ball mix immediately attracted the sharp-eyed Starlings, whilst the Sparrows, Blackbirds and Robins went about their business. A Green Woodpecker and Collared Dove kept busy in the back garden but their visit was overshadowed by three Great Spotted Woodpeckers fighting over the peanut feeder. One of the males had been a regular morning visitor but we'd never had three at once, two males and a female, getting feisty, so it was a big treat. This was all after a pair of Jays had dominated the feeders earlier during the day.

Poor showing in the rain

The miserable weather meant that Saturday was pretty much a washout, although managed to get a nice sighting of a Little Egret and Grey Heron hunting down by the river at Longham. The highlight of the weekend though was the return of the Goldcrests to the back garden. A pair played for ages last Autumn in the fir tree and today it was just a single bird in the pine.

Expanding the realm

In the absence of any fascinating badger updates, and in spite of this being called the Bearwood Badger Blog, more general wildlife observations will be added to provide some semblance of fresh content. To kick this momentous development off will be the inclusion of an annual bird listing inspired by Mr Foster on his blog. Friday 5th saw a visit to Blashford Lakes and a bountiful selection of sightings and to add to it all I learnt that the collective noun for a group of herons is a 'siege', according to their blog. I failed to see the Bittern but had some great Redpoll and Nuthatch views.

This was all prefaced by the overpowering aroma of fox urine on our front step on Friday morning. The foxes used to be abundant in our area, to the point that I caught a pair copulating on the front lawn one morning, but since the rise of the badgers, the foxes have been less conspicuous.

Night owls

Not much of an update purely because the pair of badgers have been visiting extremely late over the past week, some nights not arriving until 22:30. Presumably they are restricting their night time activities and perhaps visit sites they get food at regularly, who's to know. What we do know is that they do not like brussel sprouts and despite the amount of leftovers they had, they still insist on trashing the lawn looking for earthworms.