Badgers

[Rose]

It's that time of year when we are visited every night by badgers who live in a sett in some woodland at the bottom of our garden. We put food out for them from April till about September. This year we have two very small cubs - they're much smaller than we've ever seen before and I wonder if the late winter has meant they were born later this year ? The badgers arrive pretty much on the dot of 9:30 every night which means at the moment there is very little light for photographs. The path is partially lit by the light from our lower ground floor room which is immediately adjacent to the path (and which has also produced a rather nice catchlight in the badger's eye !) I've managed to take a few photos this week and have found a combination of camera settings that give me something which I can then push a bit further in LR. Makes for very noisy images of course, so I'm looking forward to lighter evenings which will make things considerably easier. I've got as close as 8 feet away, by creeping around the corner of the house onto the path and standing as still as possible behind a garden bench as I take photos. They don't seem bothered by the sound of the shutter at all. There were six badgers out there last night - four adults and the two little cubs. By the time I got outside some had wandered off. I fired off quite a few shots, most of which didn't make the grade but I'm quite pleased with this image of one of the mothers with her cub.

Is this a suitable photo for a nature competition ? They are wild animals of course, but I'm wondering if it meets the criteria because of its setting ?

Mother-and-cub-(web).jpg (241.21 KiB) Viewed 4725 times

[davidc]

They aren't captive or domesticated so I think they'd be fine. Just because they live in an urban area wouldn't rule them out.

Have you considered setting up flash around the area to improve lighting? You could preconfigure/test it beforehand then take the shot when they arrive. From experience in my garden, animals are startled for the first one but rapidly don't care afterwards, they get used to it. I've been trying this in my garden for ages, aiming for birds and foxes

[Rose]

Badgers are very easily startled and I don't think they'd tolerate a flash. It's been suggested however, that I try setting up a worklight as they clearly aren't bothered by light as such.

[walterconquy]

ROSE, I THINK THESE ARE GREAT YOU HAVE ALL THE DETAIL YOU NEED EVEN CONSIDERING ITS SUPPOSED TO BE LOW LIGHT, THE FUR AND EYES ARE BRILLIANT.WALLY

[Rose]

ROSE, I THINK THESE ARE GREAT YOU HAVE ALL THE DETAIL YOU NEED EVEN CONSIDERING ITS SUPPOSED TO BE LOW LIGHT, THE FUR AND EYES ARE BRILLIANT.WALLY

Thanks Wally ~

[Nina]

Very good indeed Rose. Was thar taken through the glass?

[Rose]

Very good indeed Rose. Was thar taken through the glass?

Thanks Nina - no I was actually on the path standing just 8 feet away from them !

[Paul Heester]

Its a fantastic image and you are very lucky to have badgers so close. Did you try some portrait shots using your path as a lead-in line?

[Rose]

Thanks Paul And no, not on this occasion... once I'm standing there with the camer to my eye, I really can't afford to make any movement as the badgers are so easily spooked, so I keep the camera in one plane.