Wildlife Watching In February: The Badger’s Are About

If you’re looking for some wildlife watching inspiration this month then February is, apparently, considered to be the start of the ‘badger year’ and you should be able to witness plenty of territorial activity going on because it’s the main mating season. This is also the month that sows give birth below ground.  If you brave the cold weather to head for your local badger sett then you should be rewarded with some signs of activity. Things to look out for include:

·         badger footprints

·         old discarded bedding (dried leaves and grass)

·         traces of fresh, new bedding in the area around the sett

Where To Watch Badgers

There are numerous locations all over the UK and plenty of groups and websites where you can find out more – click here to download the Badger Watch list of places to view these amazing creatures.

If the idea of badger watching on a cold evening is less than appealing then you might prefer watching them from the comfort of indoors – yes, you can do this! The aforementioned list includes some places where you can watch badgers from inside, including bed and breakfasts.

The Wild & Green Badger Watching List Includes:

·         The Lake View Bed & Breakfast in Grasmere which, as well as enjoying amazing fell views, has its very own badger sett in the garden. The badgers can often be viewed from your own B&B bedroom and there’s a book in the entrance area where people have recorded details of their badger sightings whilst staying there. For more details click here 

 ·         The Forestry Commission run special badger wtahicng experiences at the Cropton Forest in Yorkshire. For more details visit their website. 

For more details on badgers:

To find out more about badgers visit the BBC Wildlife Finder website