Badger out in the daytime

pansyface

There’s a young badger eating bird food (peanuts etc) in one of our rather overgrown flowerbeds just now. 

We know that they come out at night but we’ve never seen one in the day. It’s just about 20 feet away from us.

Do you think it’s OK?

Uff

I found this from the RSPCA
They're mostly nocturnal, but cubs can sometimes be seen foraging during daylight during summer if food is scarce. Badgers mainly eat earthworms, but they'll also take other invertebrates, rodents, rabbits, cereals, fruit and bulbs.

And this from the Badger Trust
If you find a badger either in unnatural surroundings or above ground during daylight hours, they may be injured or unwell. Do not attempt to approach the animal, but seek expert help as soon as possible if you are concerned. Frightened animals may bite in self-defence.

Not sure if that might answer your question. Do you have a branch of the Badger Trust near you that might give you an answer pansyface?

fidgetbones

It's very dry at the moment, maybe they can't get much in the way of worms.

pansyface

Thanks for that. The little thing looked quite active and was certainly enjoying the bird food.🙂

Each morning we find those big nose prints in the “meadow” bit of the garden where the badgers have been rootling for worms.

There must be plenty of worms around because that part of the garden is riddled with mole tunnels and mole tumps. Maybe the moles are eating them all.

Last summer the adults completely wrecked two of my nice miniature apple trees - they just hauled themselves up through the middle of the trees and tore off most of the branches.  Did the same to the gooseberry bushes, though I don’t care so much about them.

OH has set up the trail cam to see what happens overnight. 🙂

Don’t know about the badger trust. I’ll look it up, thanks.

Dovefromabove

Badgers absolutely love peanuts … we went badger watching on Romney Marsh some years ago where the ‘experts’ had laid a trail of peanuts to lead the badgers to the area in front of the bank where we were hidden. A memorable evening in the company of a family of badgers … several adults and seven cubs 🦡 

Posy

So many people feed badgers and foxes these days that they are losing their fear of being out and about at unusual times. It's  true that they prefer nights but they wander about in twilight without a thought. I've  never seen badgers in full sun but the foxes appear at any old time.

Ergates

Our local badgers generally visit at night, but I have seen seen them twice in the day time. One very obliging wandered up when an animal loving friend was visiting. I wouldn’t worry if it seemed well, and was doing something normal like scavenging.

Jellyfire

How lovely to see, I saw a hedgehog out yesterday too, I wonder if it is the dry weather making worms scarce

Ergates

I do put out food for our badgers, seems to reduce any tendency to dig up the lawns, but I’ve also taken to leaving out a tray of water for drinking. Both the badgers and the foxes have been taking advantage of that in the recent dry weather.

pansyface

Thanks all for your comments.

My OH put out a full jar of my last year’s gooseberry jam that had begun to get a bit furry where the old lid hadn’t made a good seal. 

All gone in the morning. He’s looking back on the CCTV to see if he can see who ate it.😊

Uff

Will you let us know what did please pansyface?