Badger Yearling

Just before I took the wide-angle shot below, this yearling popped out of the sett and headed straight for me. Unfortunately I was sat on the direct path between the sett and the bait laid down for the wide-angle. I won't be doing that again! I had not expected the badger to catch the scent so clearly from such a distance. As I pondered this over, I considered how the scent could have been dragged down nearby burrows (there are so many) alerting the badger to the food. Having such a great awareness of their surroundings, the badger would have known exactly where the food was by the slightest whiff passing down the tunnels. Amazing animals!

It is a great help having two cameras 'on the go' as it enables me to take full advantage of the different scenes and environments, not to mention the possible paths the badgers might take. I have the wide-angle set on a remote camera in a nearby clearing where the light is better - I need more depth-of-field to ensure a sharp subject. At the same time, I can lurk in the undergrowth and snap the badgers as they forage for earthworms.

I only pick off single shots at a time. Normally the first frame captures the badger with its nose in the dirt, the second frame has the eye contact, or at least a raised head. I use the shutter button very sparingly. Firing off a barrage of shots at every badger that came near would immediately scatter the badgers and destroy the habituation process. I take a shot, then I let them relax before taking another.

This shot has been altered in Adobe Lightroom. It was taken in daylight with rich greens, but I wanted to see whether I could adapt the image to make it look more nocturnal. I cooled the white balance down, desaturated the colour, dropped the exposure by 1/3rd stop, and tweaked the curves. What do you think? I think it looks like it was shot at dusk, possibly later?

Bold badger cubs

I have just finished my first week of badger photography and am starting to experiment in my new surroundings. This is a very small cub, probably smaller than a Chihuahua. He is tiny, but all sense of size and perspective is distorted with this low and wide-angle view. This is a remote camera set up with a 16mm lens. I lay the food precisely where I need the subject to be in focus. It takes time to set this up well and you need plenty more time for trial and error to perfect it. The young cubs barely even acknowledge the camera shutter. Last years cubs do flinch and look around, but they still seem comfortable.

Switching between two setts, I have witnessed a great deal of activity, especially during the day. This year's cubs have been wandering about since midday, which I thought was incredible! Having always associated these animals with dusk and night, to see them in broad daylight is quite surreal.

I am really glad that I have persevered with the daylight approach. OK, I have to sit in the woods for over 8 hours getting an incredibly numb backside, but what a time I have!? Actually, its not as bad as it used to be. I now use a Chair Mate (see left) available from any good fishing tackle shop. It makes sitting on the ground much more comfortable.

I see so much more by just sitting still and quite. I see roe deer deftly moving within a few metres, sparrow hawks whipping through the trees hunting the songbirds, and a tawny owl perching right above my head. In the undergrowth, I've seen a dormouse, smooth snake, grass snake, and untold number of mice and voles, all oblivious to my presence. Each time I see something I think about taking a shot, but check myself. I am here for badgers and cannot be distracted for a second.

Badgers are GO!

My first badger photo! Well, one from a sequence anyway. This is a huge moment for me. Since I began wildlife photography, I had always dreamed of one day photographing wild badgers. To me, they are the quintessential British mammal and can be very difficult to see, let alone photograph.

I have opted for a very natural approach here: Arriving at the sett hours before sunset; leaving small morsels of food scattered around the sett; waiting for the badgers to emerge; firing off a single frame at a time so as not to scare them too much. I am wholly reliant on ambient light as I have decided against flash for the time being. I am not overly keen on flashed badgers - the images look quite surreal with a nocturnal animal bathed in bright light. Instead I have used high ISOs of 800 or 1000 and a 300mm f/2.8 lens. My shutter speeds are usually less than 1/100th sec, so I rely on a remote lead and sturdy tripod to minimise camera shake.

This was shot at 8:39pm and the sun had all but set. This years cubs always appear several minutes before the adults and are often called back inside the burrow by their mum. I have a window of about 20mins before it is too dark to focus. Then, I sit and wait and watch the badgers until it is too dark to see. Once they are back inside their burrow or dispersed, I leave the sett as quietly as I approached. Can't wait to get back there!