I saw the Badger cub for the first time last night. It does look as if the Sow has only got one cub, more than likely she had two and one has died. I could be wrong and that there is another one who has not come out of the sett as yet. I hope so as they do play well together. Last night the cub did look lost, not knowing what to do next. It could also be that there is another Sow in the sett with cubs, and that the cubs are not yet mature enough to show themselves. The coulds are probably wishful thinking, all though the doubling of the sett last year was also surprising.
Last year two sows of the sett had cubs, one having twins and the other triplets, that is unusual, normally only one sow of the sett breeds each year. Last year the sett doubled in size. Up to about two weeks ago all ten were still about.
Since I took a rattly bunch of keys in my pocket to stop the Badgers becoming to humanised, by rattling the keys when I fed them, they have not been waiting so close to me at feeding times. It hasn’t frightened them, but it has made them wary, which was my objective. One Badger does come out as I am leaving the field. It pops its head out of the sett when it hears me and gingerly edges it self to the edge of the field, very rarely coming any closer.
The Swallows have got on well with their nest building, they have been at it all day, it still doesn’t look that good or safe. The Blackbirds chicks are in out of their nest all day long, they would not be able to do that if the nest was not in the fruit tray.
We have a contractor spraying to get rid of the dots and nettles in the hay fields. The weeds tend to spoil the hay, and the horses are not keen on hay when there is weeds in it. We always leave a lot of weeds around the farm for the wildlife, especially the nettles, where the butterflies often lay their eggs.
We are going to let Breeze and Arnie out into their summer gazing field tomorrow morning between 9 and 9.30 am. I am sure that they will do as I said they would in yesterdays diary. Both cameras Denbury Farm 1 and 2 overlook the field and I will show the horses on both cameras for half an hour or so.