The lane at 3.30am
I was up and out of the cottage for 3.30 and as I walked around the garden wall into the lane I caught sight of my nemesis , playing with her robust looking cubs underneath the dim beam of the lane light.
The badger sow has five almost fully grown babies, who chatted and grunted like fat piglets around their mother. It was a awesome sight, I have to admit, even though the family is undoubtedly responsible for the majority of my field losses recently.
The family moved off to root around the reinforced Ukrainian village like miniature hippos , and I could almost sense that the hens, ducks and little Jesus in his raised hutch were all holding their breath until the badgers had moved on.
Only the geese screamed out their challenge from the robust goose house , biting at the wire of the small window in anger.
The siege war continues
More mouths to feed...
ReplyDeleteThe early bird catches the worm, or should that be an early John catches the badger...? LOL
ReplyDeleteEarly morning can be an amazing time of day. Seldom seen, but amazing. I was trying to think of a way to scare the badgers off, without hurting them.
ReplyDeleteI don't like badgers even if I try very hard.
ReplyDeleteI have no sympathy for the badger family....sorry. Early mornings are my favorite time of day. We are up between 4 and 5 am. daily. I guess when you start getting olden you don't want to miss a moment sleeping.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant piece of story telling, John. Even your hero Durrell couldn't have done it better. I held my breath. At the end you still hadn't killed the badgers with a shovel - as I feared. But then that's not your style, is it?
ReplyDeleteShall try and come up with some more useful words of crap. Till then let the badgers live. If worst comes to worst I'll donate some - already dead - chickens to keep your ones alive.
Trust geese to make a racket. No wonder they are famed as guard dogs only second to Alsations (German Shepherds by another name).
See you at three thirty. Don't forget to bring your torch.
U
And sandwiches
DeleteI'm glad the village held up.
ReplyDeleteFive baby badgers is not good news. Could they be caught and moved to another area, maybe the English Channel?
ReplyDeleteYes! Catch and release. I khow it works with racoons.
DeleteWell don't release them around eastern England please.
Deletecome back with a vengeance they will track your blood in the snow
ReplyDeleteand so it goes
:0)
Oh dear
DeleteI was breathless reading that! More suspense than most Hollywood movies!
ReplyDeletethe magic of the badgers cavorting under the streetlight while everyone sleeps--good story
ReplyDeleteI like the fighting spirit of your geese, sending out a challenge. I hope they stay well away from the badgers though.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful writing. I felt like I was right there.
ReplyDeletecheers, parsnip
Sounds like a real love/hate relationship to me John.
ReplyDeleteThe good and bad of nature in a nutshell.
ReplyDeleteOh, dear.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
It must have been nice to see the badgers as a family and understand why the adult has been taking your chickens. Nature can be so cruel. I once saw my hen swallow a whole frog. She just had the legs hanging from her beak before she gulped it down!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Hurricane's dog once came to the door with the head of a mouse hanging out of one side of her mouth, and the tail hanging out the other. I would not let her in. I commanded, Leave it! She dropped the mouse in the grass and the late great smooth collie Faulkner swallowed it whole.
DeleteSpooky photo....ghost foxes perhaps?
ReplyDeleteYou know, you could have fun with these little buggers.
ReplyDelete"Badgers have been known to become intoxicated with alcohol after eating rotting fruit."
http://jalopnik.com/5310130/drunken-german-badger-blocks-traffic
It's easier hitting the buggers with a spade
DeleteAnd scene! :)
Delete2 lines of electric fence. a double ring. badgers urgh. it doesn't work for foxes as we have tried but maybe you can both wee around your gardens? if HFW is to be believed hair clippings work. This didn't work for us, either for the deer or the foxes. everything is worth a go though.
ReplyDeleteYes considering it, but more difficult with a fat turkey and thick powerful geese
DeleteDefinitely a lot of mouths to keep fed. :-|
ReplyDeleteGlad they moved on last night.
Don't you just love this stuff!??
ReplyDeleteSounded like something from a mystery novel, John. Very apt.
ReplyDelete