Viva Lewes Issue #116 May 2016

WE TRY...
Photo by Steven Robinson
Badger Watching
If you go down to the woods tonight...
Writing anything about wildlife in the same magazine
as Michael Blencowe feels, frankly, foolhardy,
but when I get an invitation to go badger watching
in the woods of the Loder Valley Nature Reserve,
part of the 465 acres that make up Wakehurst, I can’t
resist the challenge.
We meet Steven Robinson, the Head Warden, just
before 7pm on a golden April evening, opposite the
Gardener’s Arms near Ardingly, before making our
way through the bluebell woods to our destination.
Every Tuesday evening from April to September,
whatever the weather, Steven leads a group down to
a viewing hide, half submerged into a bank which is
home to a whole cast of compelling characters.
Having sprinkled some peanuts in front of the
badger’s-eye-view window, we settle in. Steven has
been watching this sett for the 25 years he’s worked
at Wakehurst and has no doubt that the badgers
have been living here a great deal longer than that;
but it’s the first evening viewing of the season and
he isn’t sure what we’ll see. As a general rule, the
badgers first appear at the hide well before nightfall
but the first character to emerge this evening, from
under a fallen tree, is a beautiful vixen. Unperturbed
by our presence, she stretches, sniffs the air, lazes on
the bank and then heads off in search of food. The
next act are the clowns - a trio of pheasants - squabbling
over the peanuts and bobbing about the bank.
They’re incredibly beautiful up close and highly
comical to watch.
As twilight descends, birdsong gives way to the
hooting of owls but there’s still no sign of a badger.
It’s true that quiet and patience are essential
prerequisites but it’s surprisingly gripping all the
same. Then suddenly - out of the gloaming - the
distinctive striped face of a badger pops up. It looks
straight at us - no doubt smelling our presence with
its incredible nose - then it turns tail and heads off
into the woods on badger business. A few minutes
later it’s back to investigate the peanut situation no
more than a metre from our viewing window. Steven
has stashed some under a pheasant-proof rock
and, as the badger tucks in, another head pops up
and a bigger brock ambles down the bank, hopping
up onto an upturned log. Both sit there for a good
long while, daintily nibbling the nuts one at a time,
looking up at every creak and rustle, until something
sends them back up the bank and off to do whatever
badgers do.
It’s difficult to leave and I’m already planning my return
for the next instalment but it’s getting too dark
to see by 9pm and so we make our way back through
the moonlit woods under a starry sky. Lizzie Lower
Every Tuesday until 6th September Adults £12/Children
£6. Start time 7pm April + September, 7.30pm
May to August. Money goes towards helping fund
habitat management work in the reserve. Booking is
essential kew.org
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