The badgers are obviously using the hedge as a substitute for woodland habitat, which I think is great and just goes to show how important these small fragments of habitats are to wildlife! It isn’t foolproof – rain can spoil tracks, or the hole may not be used every night. Their front claws may be 25mm long; and you will often hear them scratch on the ground if they are walking about on hard surfaces, such as roads, paving stones or block paving. In the same way What do badgers eat? From what I have read, it seems a bit unusual to find a dead animal outside a sett. dig their setts in open fields, moorland, sand dunes, old quarries, Their fur coloration is primarily grey across their back and sides. habitat, large areas may be searched without finding a large main sett. It’s one of the things I want to work out – how and why badgers move between different holes. I think unfortunately the wind changed direction while we were sat there. of different sizes and types are built according to the same We have seen signs of badgers over the years (scraping out a wasp nest in the grass, eating the fallen plums off a tree near the house, etc.) The spoil heaps will often contain dried grass or bracken that the badgers had dragged in as bedding and then subsequently cleared out at a later date. Badgers travel on paths whenever possible (see Why do badgers use paths?) A couple of years ago I even had a family of foxes, complete with cubs, living in one of the unused holes of the main badger sett I watched, and the foxes and badgers seemed to get along fine as neighbours. Finding these can give you confidence that there are badgers in the vicinity and help to narrow down your search. The idea was to share information about badger setts so that everyone could get involved and hopefully the badgers will benefit from that. This would Great site, by the way. A frustrating but fun way to spend an afternoon. There are no visible footprints either. latrines (holes in the ground) nearby, into which badgers do their poo. This is still one of the things about badger setts I still don’t fully understand. Mr & mrs sloat from sidley east sussex. not usually a problem in the UK, tunnels are normally dug below the level at What do they look like? In the meantime, I wouldn’t worry about your dogs too much for now. its been normally quite late say 1am and its on my housing estate. At many setts there will be patches of leaf mould that have been dug up and scuffled about as the badgers look for food. I’ve heard of this happening, where previously unoccupied setts came back to life. Here’s another example. Badgers are one of the most fearless animals on the block. shared the need to collect new bedding materials, but that breeding sows made Roughly 80% or so are in woodlands or hedgerows where trees or their It can be very hard to tell them apart. or so. Different subspecies of Europeans have slightly different patterns and colors. We were amazed. ( Log Out /  often formed in a widening of a tunnel. I have been told I have a badger sett on my land I have never seen any signs that say it’s still in use. Nesting even sea cliffs! since the house is not currently habitable i am not going to be there at sunset to try and identify what is there. homes. digging. large setts, entrances to the sett may eventually lead back into random blind The hare hadn’t been eaten and didnt show any signs of decay yet. amount of dung. I’d need to go back to the books and see if neck injuries are consistent with badger fights. The path goes over a fallen tree and badgers have left clear claw marks as they climbed over. sett which they use as a replacement main sett. Sandy soil is a favourite, because it is easy to dig, and it stays drier There is something special about coming face to face with a wild animal that leaves a lasting impression. from an entrance and where natural air-flow is very low. I have not found any droppings but today about 10 metres from the area of holes I found a single fresh dropping dark green/black 2 inches long. Many thanks, They use their powerful front claws to dig and expand their The main sett that I watch is obviously an old one, as the whole area is pock-marked by holes and hummocks so that it resembles a First World War battlefield. A sett may contain both active and inactive holes, so it is possible that part of the sett is disused while other parts are still occupied around the corner. affected need to contact their local They are a good sign of badger activity, but other animals can leave similar holes and cause confusion. one is quite noticeable from a main path. If you do find evidence of badgers, then my advice would be to contact your local badger group. I agree, it is very very addictive and if I didn’t have so much other stuff to do I would be down there every evening! stale air rise through the sett and be dissipated into the surrounding i am clearing out the garden and have found a group of holes in the far corner of the garden beside the river. The badgers are active and the vegetation has not yet grown up. allow the sow the chance to keep other badgers away from her cubs. Badgers live underground, so they need somewhere suitable for digging. Incidentally, if you ever come across a path under a fence, check the bottom strand of wire to see if any hairs have been caught. From where I sat I could see a head poke out of the entrance twice but it must have been able to sense us as it swiftly went back in. are at least 7 m from the nearest entrance. It’s part of the cycle of things. Badgers do not like digging into clay, as this is wet and sticky. Badgers are pretty solitary away from the sett (the paradox of an unsociable social animal), and they tend to eat things where they find them. Dung pits are a particular feature of badger territories. find examples of all sett types in a particular area. I’m trying to find out where the oldest recorded badger sett in the country is. I have been attempting badger watching now for about 18 months and until 2 days ago I hadn’t seen a badger at a sett. Hi Ele and welcome – congratulations on your good watching! Look for the right sort of habitat – woodland near pasture, ideally with sloping ground. ( Log Out /  I must confess, there are still badger setts in my local area that I still haven’t tracked down yet. These usually have a large number of holes with large spoil Squirrels will dig small holes to bury (or dig up) nuts, and the rabbits will make small scrapes too. Advice during a TB breakdown. Find out how to identify a bird just from the sound of its singing with our bird song identifier … Where Badgers Are Found Typically living in open grasslands, badgers build extensive tunnel systems that sometimes overlap with farmlands and yards. Really excellent article BM, & some very good pics, Google earth/maps are indeed detailed enough to save some time in locating setts, which may not (we hope) be too accessible. It’s the sort of playful thing that they’d do. There are a couple of holes under trees like this at this sett, which makes me wonder whether it is a deliberate choice. Let the dog have an evening off one day and get out and watch! Setts are used for The trouble with paths is that you never really know who makes them, whether it is badgers or another animal (humans being another obvious cause). Some of the signs you mentioned were there: multiple, large ‘D’ shaped holes and piles of freshly dug soul in a forested slope . Have you seen any other badger signs? usually situated in or near small clearings in woodland or copses. There are several well worn animal paths across the field which has not had livestock on it for a long time (just used for hay crops) and one led me to a several holed badger sett in the woodland! Do badgers come back to old disused seetts. I’m glad you found the guide useful. Have been looking at your site since we come home and found it very intresting we will be looking out for the badgers in the coming months and will let you know. Whilst these four sett categories look clear cut, classification might Change ). yet! "main" or "other"; which is a bit simpler. This means that there will often be many signs of badgers in the general area of the sett. 53, Badger Meles meles setts–architecture, What's the deal with honey badgers? I am very jealous of your badgers in your garden. Badgers definitely seem to prefer a sloping site rather than a very flat one. Many badger Sounds interesting. Badgers are very good at staying un-noticed, unless they find an easy food source in your garden. ( Log Out /  We crouched down and watched this wonderfull creature move about, dissapear, then come out again. 18 inches across and a foot or slightly shallower deep.