Posted by the Animal of the Year team, 25.09.2016

September 22nd was the autumn equinox. Now night is longer than the day until spring. Evening dusk is already so cool that the breath of the boar herd that came to the sett steamed. It is good to see how the piglets from spring have filled out and that overall the herds in the woods here are large and healthy. A few tens of kilometres away the picture is different. The pest is doing its work and herds dwindle. 

The badger visited to check the Salumetsa sett a couple of times this week. He padded at the edge of the trail camera’s field of view and left scent marks at the familiar large birch tree. There was no proper image of him however, so he does not appear in this week’s video.

The raccoon dog pair feel themselves secure in the sett. Last winter they dozed here. There is no need to look for a new place this autumn either.

The fox comes to the sett just to check things. The boundary of his home forest is here too. The scent mark on the border tree must be refreshed from time to time. The badgers’ burrows hold no interest for him. He has his own. 

Although the elk family lives here too they have nearly not been seen in camera view at all, most recently in spring. Last week they were at the sett and the immediate neighbourhood for a couple of days. After all the badger sett must not become overrun with shrubs. The video shows that they mainly cut back this year’s Tree of the Year, the honeysuckle. 

If nothing very disturbing happens and there is enough food elks tend not to stray around at all. A forest area of a hundred meters is sufficient for weeks. When we fetch the memory cards from the camera the elks clatter off in a run from almost the same spot as before.