Digger in the garden

Badger I think, we have them here too.......

Foxes nibble at bulbs too. My mother has both in her garden. Mind you, it's her own fault, she puts out food for them.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/4957325/Urban-foxes-digging-up-spring-bulbs.html

Possibly badger. I think there is one digging holes under a hedge at the end of my garden. My former neighbour thought there was a set on the other side of the brook. Either the badger can swim or it has discovered the bridge a couple of doors down.

I too had this mystery. Recently a badger set was confirmed at he bottom of our garden! At least I now have an answer, despite having the holes. I hope they eat the slugs! x

They'll happily eat slugsJ52 but aren't exactly discerning where they dig, as our 'lawn' found out!
Great creatures to watch though, and wonderful to spy on badger cubs playing -they like jam or peanut butter sandwiches too!

I find that feeding the badgers on peanuts stops them digging. They have visited every night for 16 years and done no damage. Mind you, it has cost me a fortune in sacks of nuts, but more entertaining than TV!
I have uploaded a photo of them onto my profile.

Lovely photos. At first I thought the chocolate orange cake was for them! x

From the thread title I thought a JCB had turned up!

They are digging right under the bird station with fat balls et al. Will try the peanuts, as very reluctant to stop feeding birds.

Just been told by my husband that hole is deep. Worried about set in grden.
Our garden is, in fact, a courtyard which, as property is on slight slope, has an undercroft. Surely, badgers would not live underneath within feet of our front door!

Oh dear! Watch out for subsidence! I hope your DH is wrong.

J52- have you spoken to Pam Mynott at the Leicester Badger Group- she would be keen to give advice and also to record the sett. There used to be a very large sett in Meadow Court Road- but never hear of one your way.

shysal - what great photographs! I haven't been down the garden recently - it's slippery and I am afraid of falling - but when I pluck up the courage, I will be out there to see if there's been any more digging.

Badger cubs are normally born in January, and it is a busy and hungry time. Problem is, badgers can cause quite a bit of damage, so if it is a new phenomenon- do try and deter them from establishing territory before they consider themselves at home! Badgers are hugely territorial and rely on scent. They have an anal gland, with the scent of the clan, and will 'sit' regularly to mark the ground and also each other.

One of the first thing to try is to find where they are coming in- and get all the males in your household to take a walk to the garden as often as poss and sprinkle the area with their urine (and try not to get arrested!) - at night might be best if overlooked ;)- the sooner the better.

BTW Pam Mynott is an ex teacher and lives quite near in the small town next to you that begins with an O.

Granjura. We back on to a land locked field. The survey has come about due to a planning application!!!
We were walking back from Stoughton Rd one evening and a Badger crossed our path! So they are still there!
Thanks for the suggestion of the Badger group. x

Pam would be very keen to survey a sett so far into town. A real surprise! And of course it might even affect the planning ap. As said, I used to work with her at G. school- and also with the Leics and Rutland Badger Group. Give her my best regards.

Lovely shysal! I agree -better than tv to watch!