Badger's Blog

Snuffle snuffle

Has anyone else noticed how noisy the countryside is getting in the morning? Just before the sun comes up, and sometimes even at night when it's beginning to get dark, lots of birds have started to tweet and twitter and sing. They're so loud!

Spring is definitely on its way. I'm getting a bit impatient and have been snuffling around for bulbs and shoots. I've found some tiny green buds poking through the ground, mostly around the bottoms of big tree trunks. I think they might be snowdrops, or maybe even daffodils. I'm going to go back regularly to check on them and see how they're doing. I want to find out what they are. It's very exciting!

Have any of my nature detective friends spotted any snowdrops yet? Let's play a game and see who can find the first spring flower of the year. I'll keep looking and try to take a picture as evidence, but if you find one first, let me know!

Snuffle snuffle

Snuffle snuffle

Hello everyone! I've got my snuffle back! Lots of sleeping has helped to get rid of the cold - along with all your nice comments on my blog, of course.

You've all been noticing some cool birdy goings-on just lately, and it's reminded me to tell you about the story I've been reading on the website. I signed up to the e-newsletter on the home page, which means I'm one of the first to hear about all the new and amazing stuff happening every month. It has a different 'feature creature' each time, news from the Wildlife Trusts and installments of an exciting wildlife story - Buster: the tale of a blue tit.

Last time poor little Buster couldn't find any food in the garden he was visiting because all the bigger birds had gobbled it up! I wonder if he will alright next month - I bet he's getting pretty hungry.

You can catch up on Buster's adventures by going to his story page at www.wildlifetrusts.org.uk/Buster-the-tale-of-a-blue-tit. Or why not sign up to the e-newsletter and read the next part as soon as it comes out?

I can't wait for the next one in February!

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Sniffle sniffle

Badger here again - sniffly but feeling a bit better now. Colds are rubbish, aren't they?

I've been looking around the website while I've been feeling poorly and reading about how the nasty weather is affecting all the other animals. If you go to the Snow Watch page (www.wildlifewatch.org.uk/Snow-Watch) you can see some cool snow photos from across the Trusts. Cool, get it?

My favourite is the shivery looking water vole on an icy pond. He looks like his paws have got stuck! I hope he found a nice warm burrow at the end of the day.

Oh dear, I think I'm going to sneeze.

Sniffle sniffle *ACHOO!*

Sniffle sniffle

Bluch. I've got a cold.

I stayed outside yesterday and tramped around in all the melting snow. The slushy stuff was good fun to squish under my paws, but I think I stayed too long and caught a cold!

Solar says I'm being silly and that you're more likely to catch a cold inside where it's warm. Maybe he's right, but I don't feel any better! There is a good side to it though - I get to snuggle under a blanket all evening and eat lots of goodies. The rest of the gang are being nice to me too.

Since I can't go out tomorrow, I'm going to put the telly on. The Autumnwatch team are back for 'Snow Watch' which is on BBC 2 at eight o'clock. I wonder if there will be any badgers on it...

Sniffle sniffle

Snuffle snuffle

Shhh! I'm being extra quiet. I'll let you stay, but only if you promise not to make any noise!

I'm trying to be like a wildlife presenter and watch animal behaviour. It's harder than I thought it would be and it's taken me ages to blend into the background. Black stripes stand out on the snow!

But guess what I saw earlier. A fieldfare! It was like the one in this video, but it wasn't sitting and eating an apple nicely. It came into my garden, found one of the berry trees and then chased all the other birds away! It's been guarding the tree for ages now and won't let anything get near.

Nature detective observation of the week: Fieldfares don't like to share!

Snuffle snuffle