'They' told us it was going to be a cold winter and certainly down here in Somerset, that looks to be correct. I remember posintg on her last January that I had primroses in flower on some of the south facing bank on the farm as early as January 19th. Over a month later and there's still no sign of primroses flowering this year!
Out exercising myself and the dawgs this morning, we were up on the hill and all my fields up there border onto an area of commonland and woodland owned by the Somerset Wildlife Trust - it's a SSSI site. There are some lovely banks with oak trees along them, some of which need felling and replacing. One of these is totally hollow and Molly, (the wirehaired Viszla) went on point, then moved and stuck her head into the hollow base of the tree, backed up almost immediately by the two Weimaraners. I watched them for a bit - their tails wagging furiously but oddly, no attempt to try to get right inside the tree. Just as well, because when I called them off and then looked in myself, there was a highly indignant badger well back from the entrance. There was also a badger hole going down between the tree roots!
So we left him (or her!) in peace but I was cursing I didn't have my camera with me!
For those who have been following the TB v badger debate and who might expect me to be none too keen on them, I am pleased to report that the recent TT test both on my farm and Phil's farm - they are connected, as he has a Farm Business Tenancy on my farm and therefore cattle from both farms mix - went clear last week - a cause for much celebration! And therefore we are pretty sure that 'our' badgers must be healthy and so we have no intention of interfering with them (yes, I know it would be illegal to....).
The fact still remains that we have too many of them - nothing predates a badger after all - and it is a fact that their setts are getting bigger and are encroaching into the fields more frequently. The damage they can do has to be seen to be believed!
Out exercising myself and the dawgs this morning, we were up on the hill and all my fields up there border onto an area of commonland and woodland owned by the Somerset Wildlife Trust - it's a SSSI site. There are some lovely banks with oak trees along them, some of which need felling and replacing. One of these is totally hollow and Molly, (the wirehaired Viszla) went on point, then moved and stuck her head into the hollow base of the tree, backed up almost immediately by the two Weimaraners. I watched them for a bit - their tails wagging furiously but oddly, no attempt to try to get right inside the tree. Just as well, because when I called them off and then looked in myself, there was a highly indignant badger well back from the entrance. There was also a badger hole going down between the tree roots!
So we left him (or her!) in peace but I was cursing I didn't have my camera with me!
For those who have been following the TB v badger debate and who might expect me to be none too keen on them, I am pleased to report that the recent TT test both on my farm and Phil's farm - they are connected, as he has a Farm Business Tenancy on my farm and therefore cattle from both farms mix - went clear last week - a cause for much celebration! And therefore we are pretty sure that 'our' badgers must be healthy and so we have no intention of interfering with them (yes, I know it would be illegal to....).
The fact still remains that we have too many of them - nothing predates a badger after all - and it is a fact that their setts are getting bigger and are encroaching into the fields more frequently. The damage they can do has to be seen to be believed!
