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The badger camera ends a season rich in events, “custom made” compared to earlier seasons in the sense that the animals pleased the watchers with being often present in camera view and not leaving the home hillock in summer for any longer periods.

A tiny whimpering cub could be seen already on the third day on-line between the jaws of the badger mother coming out of the burrow. The cub was brought to the outskirt of the sett to a freshly arranged nest. A second cub was transported in the same way a couple of hours later.

At least seven raccoon dog pups saw daylight in the badger sett with nineteen burrow openings The bustling of the “city folks” lasted day and night.

 

Yes, the nature cameras work, when they work, still on line and among the wildlife – storms, mice, cows,water,ants and all the other wild life.

On the Sassi peninsula the video images from the migrant camera were splashed by cattle, and the badger camera images from Nasva in Saaremaa were devoured by mice – tooth marks here and there causing  short circuits on the hundred meters long cable.

Once in the Tehumardi area hundreds of ants at the badger den discovered that a good place for their nest was directly in the camera between all kinds of small widgets; it became too much when they started to run unceasingly across the sensor.

 

Badger        Mäger        Meles meles

 

The offspring of the badger family this year should be about five months old. The female teaches the cubs behaviour and experiences that she herself has gathered over the years. She is busy with the cubs most often in early evening and ever more often they go on discovery trips together.

The badger family is doing well as before, two cubs are alive and in good health and parasites do not seem to harass them overmuch. Longer tours out of the badger castle seem to have ended for this year.

Last week the camera had recorded badger activities almost every evening and night and even during some morning hours. We have not seen the old male badger in his home burrow for some time but if he is well and healthy he will return home in due time.

In the badger castle there have been animal family idylls as well as life-threatening fights, and as visitors we have seen elks, deer and roe deer. The castle with 19 openings must accommodate at least a raccoon dog family with seven offspring, and a badger pair with two cubs – if all are at home.

We don’t really know thoroughly what the relationship between the badgers and the racoons in the badger castle might be. The occasion when the raccoon dog attacked the badger cub in camera view brought up a discussion of the harsh laws of nature and how these two species might be able to manage their lives side by side in a badger castle.

 

 

Badger      Mäger     Meles meles

 

When the adult has judged the surroundings to be safe the badger cub is allowed to leave the sett. We see it just for a moment – the new large and day-lit world does not seem tempting.

Video recorded by Klaabar, LK forum

Events in the badger camera can be watched once again from here in Saaremaa, from the same place where we finished in mid-November 2016 after the old fat beaver fell asleep snoring on the ground beside the burrow.

(Original posted by Looduskalender 24.08.15)

Such a peaceful summer evening and there is nothing to be added …

 

Badger    Mäger     Meles meles

 

Our large islands were left without heavy rain today. The second half of summer has really been stormy but the rain has fallen quite varyingly across Estonia.

Fattening-up time has started for badgers. Nature, abandoned orchards and fields offer a rich variety of choices. So they don’t go foraging only in the evening but also at early light when something says that a little more to eat would be nice.