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A first-time spot on our evening walk

A first-time spot on our evening walk
Yes, I know it's a terrible picture but it was all I could do to get my camera out and hold it and Fergus steady
Gita Bapat
Gita Bapat
1 minute read
Field Notes
No. 09
Badger
12th September 2026

Fergus spotted it, stopped and stared, as is his normal inter-species opening gambit. I thought it was just a fox but when I looked I could not believe that I was finally seeing a badger in the flesh and from their size, a young one. I thought I had got a better picture but it was very dark last night, with no moon. I was thrilled to spot one but now I'm worried that the next time I see it, it will be by the roadside, hit by a car. Let's hope not.

A few moments later a fox stopped in the road and stared at us. Fergus barely raised an eyebrow. Foxes seem so ordinary now.

At a glance
SpeciesEuropean Badger
Latin nameMeles meles
FamilyMustelidae
Size75–100cm long, plus a 15cm tail; 8–12kg
HabitatWoodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens — increasingly suburban
Key facts
  • Britain's largest land predator, living in family groups called clans in underground burrows called setts
  • Nocturnal and mostly active at dusk and after dark, which fits a suburban night-time sighting
  • Earthworms are the dietary mainstay, topped up with fruit, small mammals, and whatever else is going
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