March 26, 2025 • 31 mins
On this week’s Wildlife Matters podcast we look at the intriguing lives of badgers during the springtime as we delve into their ecological behaviours and familial dynamics during this vibrant season.
With spring heralding the rebirth of nature, we explore badger cubs' activities as they emerge from their dens and engage in playful interactions.
We feature a captivating Mindful Moment that presents the sounds of a native mammal, offering listeners an opportunity to appreciate the often unnoticed vocalisations of the natural world.
This week's Nature News segment highlights significant developments, including expanding the goshawk population and establishing a new national woodland, underscoring the ongoing efforts towards biodiversity and habitat restoration. We invite our audience to reflect on these stories and share their thoughts with us as we continue to foster a deep appreciation for wildlife and nature.
The current episode of the Wildlife Matters podcast ushers in the vibrant season of spring, a time when the natural world awakens with vivacity and vigour.
It opens with a poetic reflection on Ostara, heralding the arrival of light and energy that invigorates life in our surroundings. As the dawn chorus heralds a new day, various wildlife activities unfold: cubs emerge from their dens, pond life transforms, and chicks call for nourishment.
This episode particularly captivates the audience by exploring badgers during springtime as part of an ongoing analysis of their ecological and behavioural patterns throughout the seasons.
A unique segment, dubbed ‘Mindful Moments’, presents the audience with the rare audio of a native mammal. This sound is seldom heard yet reveals the diverse modes of communication within the animal kingdom.
Following this, the podcast transitions into Nature News, featuring significant updates on wildlife conservation efforts, including the resurgence of the goshawk population, the establishment of a new national woodland, and the promising developments from the Sussex Sea Kelp project.
Each story not only highlights the resilience of nature but also serves as an invitation to reflect on our role in preserving the environment. As the episode concludes, listeners are encouraged to engage and share their thoughts on these pressing matters, thus fostering a community of nature enthusiasts eager to learn and contribute.
Takeaways:
- This episode highlights the arrival of spring and the lively activities of wildlife, including the dawn chorus and the emergence of young animals.
- We delve into the fascinating behaviour of badgers during springtime, focusing on their social structures, grooming habits, and family dynamics.
- The podcast discusses significant nature news, including the expansion of goshawk populations and the establishment of new national forests in England.
- The successful recovery of marine life in Sussex due to the Sea Kelp project exemplifies practical conservation efforts and ecological restoration.
- Listeners are encouraged to engage with the podcast by sharing their thoughts and experiences regarding wildlife observations and conservation initiatives.
- This episode serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of wildlife and the importance of preserving natural habitats for future generations.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Sussex Sea Kelp project
- British Trust for Ornithology
- Forest of Avon Trust
- Sussex Wildlife Trust
- Badger Trust
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:26):
Hello and welcome to thisweek's Wildlife Matters podcast.
Well, Ostara has passed,bringing with it the light and the
energy.
And spring is here.
The signs of nature arebursting into life all around us.
Dawn chorus marks thebeginning of a new day.
As the cubs stir in their densand the spawn in our ponds begins.
(00:49):
To transform, we can hearchicks in.
Nests chirping for more food.
This week's episode is one Ihave been looking forward to as we
feature badgers in springtime.
It's part of our look at theecology and the behavior of badgers
throughout the year.
(01:10):
And in this week's WildlifeMatters mindful moment, we have something
very special.
The sound of an iconic nativemammal, rarely heard and not known
for its vocalizations.
But first, this week'sWildlife Matters and Nature News
includes stories about thephantom of the forest, the announcement
(01:33):
of a new national woodland andthe success of.
The Sussex Sea Kelp project.
And we will share all of thesestories next on this week's Wildlife
Matters Nature News.
(02:01):
Foreign.
Welcome to this week'sWildlife Matters Nature News, the
section of the podcast wherewe look at some of the wildlife and
nature stories that are ofinterest right now.
In late March 2025.
Our first story is about theelusive phantom of the forest, which
(02:25):
has been expanding its rangein the uk, after more than a century
of persecution, are finallylooking up for the goshawk, one of
the UK's most spectacular andelusive birds of prey.
There are now more than 1200pairs of goshawks in the UK as their
(02:47):
slow recovery continues.
Could we see this majesticbird nesting in our cities, parks
and urban spaces as they do inother European countries?
Well, research from theBritish Trust for Ornithology suggests
that the bird's range isexpanding and that we might even
(03:07):
be able to see goshawks in ourparks and cities in the future.
With its barred grey and whitebelly, yellow legs and amber eyes,
the goshawk resembles asparrowhawk but is much larger.
Deforestation, pesticide useand persecution by gamekeepers pushed
(03:28):
goshawks to the brink of extinction.
It was ultimately saved byfalconers who released imported goshawks
from Europe.
And the birds thrived.
British goshawks are primarilywoodland birds, unlike their European
counterparts which inhabitforests and urban areas.
(03:49):
Researchers are investigatinghow the birds future range and habitats
might change as their numbers increase.
And with special license, IanHenderson and his colleagues at the
BTO fitted solar poweredtracking devices to 29 goshawk chicks
from 22 nests in Norfolk,Suffolk and Gloucestershire.
(04:12):
When the birds left the nest,the tags tracked their movements
and surprisingly they didn'ttravel that far.
Instead of heading to distantwoodlands, most.
Young birds spent their firstwinter on the outskirts of their
parents breeding territory,occupying a small area no more than
10 kilometers from theirnative nest.
(04:34):
A significant differencebetween adults and newly fledged
birds was their habitatpreferences, with young males favoring
open farmland, while olderadults and juvenile females preferred
dense woodland.
This may be attributed to thesize differences, with female juveniles
and adult birds beingrelatively large compared with male
(04:57):
juveniles, who are smaller andmay be more adept at catching small
birds in open landscapes.
As the young goshawks matured,males joined the females and adult
birds in the thicker woodlands.
The short dispersal distancesobserved in the study indicate that
it may take some time forgoshawks to spread out of their forest
(05:18):
strongholds.
However, their ability toutilise non forest habitats suggests
we could witness goshawksnesting in urban areas in future
this week's second storyconcerns the creation of a new national
forest in the west of centralto southern England.
The government announced thisweek a significant initiative to
(05:39):
plant up to 20 million treesand create two and a half thousand
hectares of new woodland inthe west of England as part of the
National Forest Initiative.
The Western Forest willconsist of new and existing woodlands
across Gloucestershire,Wiltshire, Somerset, the Cotswolds
(06:00):
and the Mendips, as well as inurban areas such as Bristol, Swindon
and Gloucester.
The forest will be the firstof three new national forests the
government has promised tohelp meet its legally binding target
of achieving 16.5% woodlandcoverage in England by 2050.
(06:22):
Only 10% coverage has beenachieved today, prompting environmental
groups to warn that much moreneeds to be done to meet the tree
planting targets.
Recent research Researchestimates that the total woodland
area in the UK isapproximately 3.28 million hectares,
which represents just 13% ofthe total land area.
(06:46):
However, England only has 10%woodland cover.
The aim across the UK is toplant 30,000 hectares of woodland
annually.
The latest annual figuresindicate that about 21,000 hectares
were planted, with the vastmajority being in Scotland and just
5,500 hectares in England.
(07:08):
Alex Stone, chief executive ofthe Forest of Avon Trust, which leads
the partnership behind theWestern Forest project, told Wildlife
Matters that some regions inthe area currently have only 7% tree
cover.
This is about increasing treecoverage in those areas where we
need it, alex explained.
(07:28):
Our goal with the WesternForest is to reach 20% canopy cover
by 2050 and in five priorityareas we aim to exceed 30%, she continued.
Over the next five years, thegovernment has committed seven and
a half million of public fundsto the forest project.
Government officials say theproject will support.
(07:49):
The UK's drive towards netzero emissions, promote economic
growth and create regional jobs.
Mary Cray, the Minister forNature, expressed her hope that the
Western Forest wouldsignificantly improve water quality,
flood resilience and wildlifewhile bringing nature closer to community.
(08:10):
She acknowledged that morework is needed to achieve England's
national tree planting target,saying, I am confident that we can
reach our goals.
Projects like this give mehope and confidence that we can succeed
with everyone's cooperationfrom the public and the private sectors.
The Western Forest isEngland's first new national forest
(08:32):
designated in 30 years.
It follows the establishmentof the original national forest,
which is it coversLeicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire,
where 9.8 million trees havebeen planted.
The new Western Forest willstretch from Gloucester in the north
to include Swindon, Salisburyand Bristol, focusing on the urban
(08:53):
areas, especially in Bristoland Gloucester.
The initiative is part of thegovernment's plan to establish three
new national forests.
By the end of theparliamentary term.
This week's final story isabout a marine success on the south
coast where the SussexWildlife Trust runs the Sea Kelp
Restoration Project.
(09:14):
The Sussex Kelp RecoveryProject was launched in March 2021
after implementing a new bylawprohibiting trawling.
The law protects a coastalarea of.
117 square miles, or 302square kilometers, which runs from
Chorum Sea to Selsee.
(09:35):
As the project celebrates itsits fourth anniversary, researchers
have reported encouragingsigns of recovery, including increased
population of lobster, browncrabs, angel sharks and short snouted
seahorses.
Project lead Dr.
Chris Yessen shared withWildlife Matters, we still have a
(09:56):
way to go, but it's excitingto see nature begin to flourish once
more.
Historically, kelp forestscover vast stretches of coastline
in Sussex.
However, by 2019, 96% of thesekelp forests have been destroyed,
primarily due to the GreatStorm of 1987 and fishing practices,
(10:19):
which are known as bottom trawling.
Kelp forests provide essentialhabitat, nurseries and feeding grounds
for a lot of marine wildlife.
There are also sequesters oflarge amounts of carbon, improve
water quality and they help toreduce coastal erosion.
The Sussex Nearshore Trawlingwas introduced in 2021, has allowed
(10:43):
fish habitats to recover.
In response to the bylaw, SirDavid Attenborough called it a vital
win in the fight againstbiodiversity loss and the climate
crisis.
Following this, the SussexKelp Recovery Project was established
to study and promote thereturn of the kelp.
The project has registered 400kelp recorders through the Sussex
(11:07):
Wildlife Trust, CitizenScience program to gather observations.
Since the bylaw'simplementation, the project has documented
the presence of oysters andhoneycomb worms and an increase in
shallow dwelling species suchas the Atlantic mackerel, sand eels
and mullet.
(11:28):
Local free diver Eric Smithexpressed his excitement saying,
I was apprehended about what Iwould find this year after such a
stormy winter, but to myabsolute delight I witnessed a dramatic
increase in marine biodiversity.
Sussex Wildlife Trust KelpRecovery Coordinator George Short
(11:49):
noted the remarkable expansionof mussel.
Beds which had not been seen in.
The area for decades.
It's nice to finish with somepositive news on this week's Wildlife
Matters Nature News.
(12:21):
Well, how excited are youabout the prospect of seeing goshawks
in our urban landscape,landscape, cities and parks in the
future?
What are your thoughts oncreating three.
New national forests withinthe next five years?
We also have great news fromthe Sussex coast.
Kelp and shallow marine lifespecies have recovered in just four
(12:44):
years and we would love tohear your thoughts and comments on
any of the stories that wehave shared with you today.
You can share them on yourpodcast providers site or in the
YouTube comments section below.
If you prefer, you can emailus at infooildlife-matters.org and
(13:06):
don't forget to say hello.
Today we have an intriguingmindful moment for you.
It features a native wildanimal not typically known for its
vocalizations.
However, as this short audioclip reveals, it has an interesting
range of ways to communicatewith others.
(13:27):
So sit back, relax and see ifyou can guess which animal we have
recorded for this week'sWildlife Matters mindful moment.
(15:01):
Well, those sounds are notsomething that most people encounter
daily, but they were recordednear to Wildlife Mountain Matters
HQ at a location we have beenobserving for nearly two decades.
We've been fortunate enough towitness several generations of badgers
born in our local set as theygrow up and in some cases have had
(15:26):
their own cubs.
This audio recording featuresa small group of younger badgers
from the set playing andgrooming themselves before the dominant
sow and boar emerge.
After family time and a littlemutual grooming, each badger heads
off in a different directionto search for food.
(15:50):
And this brings us to today'sWildlife Matters main feature.
It's part of a series of articles.
And podcasts that followedbadgers for a whole year and today
we will be focusing on badgersin springtime.
(16:21):
Hello and welcome to thisweek's Wildlife Matters, a main feature.
And this is one I've beenreally looking forward to because
we are talking about badgersin springtime over the Last few weeks,
I have been immersed in thewoodland watching my local badgers.
(16:42):
The cubs were born back inJanuary and spend at least a couple
of months underground withtheir mothers.
For many years, I have enjoyedchecking my local sets.
Thankfully, here in theSoutheast, we do not have the threat
of a badger cull that has hadsuch a devastating impact on badger
(17:06):
populations.
In some areas of the country,finding signs of badger activity,
such as fresh digging, isalways exciting.
Other indications of an activeset include discarded bedding, including
grass and bracken removed fromthe set's underground chambers during
(17:28):
regular cleaning.
Badgers are very clean animals.
They are fastidious creaturesand constantly change their bedding.
Already this year, one of mytrail cameras has filmed a sow badger
bundling grass and othervegetation under her chest.
(17:49):
She held the material with herforepaws before jerkily moving backwards
to carry it underground downinto her set.
Wandering through these badgerwoodlands brings many other rewards.
With song thrushes andblackbirds now singing their beautiful
spring songs, greater spottedwoodpeckers are also making their
(18:15):
presence felt.
I adore their machine gunsounding rat, a tat tat that resonates
as they furiously drum theirbills against the hollow tree boughs
to advertise their presence toother woodpeckers.
Apart from snowdrops, thefirst spring wildflowers are only
just beginning to show.
(18:37):
Spring does appear a littlesleepy and unable to get itself going
just yet.
It will do so, though, in thenext few weeks, with lesser celandines
and wooden enemies being theprecursors, especially on sunnier,
south facing slopes.
In the darker, damper woodlandareas opposite, leaved golden saxifrage
(18:59):
is also starting to carpet the ground.
Each flower is as subtle andsmall, making it complex to discern
them individually.
Still growing together, theyform a distinctive floral tapestry
that sweeps across the forestfloor like a golden sea.
(19:20):
In April, when food suppliesare plentiful again, the badger cubs
explore the set entrance andmay emerge.
Tempted by the many new scentsand sounds outside.
The sow protects her cubs andensures that they stay close to the
set.
Aloe badger cubs are born at atime of year that maximizes their
(19:43):
chances of survival.
On average, only one of every three.
Cubs survives to its first birthday.
Male and female cubs becomesexually mature at around 11 to 15
months and may mates beforethe end of their first year in areas
where food supply is plentiful.
(20:06):
European badgers are unusualamongst the mustelids because they
live in highly social familygroups called clans.
Yet they show little sign ofcooperative behavior within the clan.
I've Noticed that clanformation is usually in areas with
abundant food resource andhigh population densities.
(20:29):
For example, areas with lowbadger density, such as the Scottish
Highland.
Clans tend to consist of adominant male and female, sometimes
with a couple of related individuals.
I've heard that badgers havesubordinate non breeding females
to help the parents.
Foxes often have aunties ordaughters to help their parents raise
(20:53):
cubs.
But the badgers assist the sowby cleaning the bedding from the
set, gathering new bedding andbuilding set extensions.
It reminds me of a story DaveWilliams told me when he saw babysitters
rounding up cubs that hadstrayed too far from the set.
They were chasing a fox and onone occasion the dog fox was nicked
(21:16):
or lightly bitten by one ofthe cubs, making him scamper away,
squealing loudly.
More from shots and surprise,I think, than any other injury.
I've also seen mutual scentingwhere the babysitter scent marks
the cubs and the cubs scentmark the babysitter.
(21:36):
So all the badgers in the setshare the same smell.
On three occasions I have seena mother and a subordinate carrying
the cubs from the chamberwhere they slept with their mother
to one where they have sleptwith the babysitter.
This is known as alloparental behaviour.
(21:57):
Another behaviour I have seenduring early spring is the bedding
being dragged out of the setand left at the entrance to air.
This is to kill any lice,ticks and fleas in the bedding that
could parasitize the badgers.
Airing bedding is an essentialpart of maintaining hygiene within
(22:18):
the set.
I've heard that badgers haveeven moved sets in certain situations
due to a buildup of parasitesin their bedding.
May is an excellent time tostart watching the badgers.
As the days get warmer andlonger, the badgers will begin to
emerge in daylight.
The cubs will now be three tofour months old and come above the
(22:42):
ground to explore around theset and to play with other badgers
again.
I've been told that badgers insets situated in open areas may emerge
later than those living in theCOVID of woodland.
But I have not seen any directevidence of this.
I've also heard that badgersin sets situated in open areas may
(23:03):
emerge later than those livingin the COVID of woodland.
Although I have not seen anydirect evidence of this my myself.
Back in the 1960s, ArthurJolland suggested that some badgers
may listen for specific soundsupon waking up, use them as cues
for emergence and becomedependent upon them as we might an
(23:27):
alarm clock.
To back up his theory, Jollenscited three examples.
The first one was badgers inthe Meon Valley in Hampshire, where
he observed them consistentlyemerging only after the last train
of the day had passed the setat 21:18.
The second was badgers at aset in Walnut in Hampshire, apparently
(23:51):
taking the call of a malepheasant going to roost every night
as the queue to commence theirown nightly activity.
The third story intrigued meas it was at my local set in Elm
Bridge, where he claimed thebadgers wouldn't begin leaving the
set until the first eveninghoot of the resident tawny owl was
heard.
(24:12):
This resonated with me astoday, 60 or so years later, my own
local badgers are stillwaiting for the local tawny owls
to call before they begin to emerge.
This is clearly a learnedbehaviour passed down through many
generations.
Anyone who has watched badgersat their set will know that they
(24:35):
spend a significant amount oftime grooming.
The longest grooming boutstend to occur shortly after emergence
from the set.
But it's not uncommon to see abadger sit down and scratch in the
middle of feeding.
In addition to groomingthemselves, badgers also groom other
clan members, a behaviourknown as allo grooming.
(24:58):
Grooming.
When badgers groom themselves,they tend to do so sitting down or
lying on one side of theother, particularly to groom that
side.
While self grooming, a badgerwill focus on its stomach, legs,
tail and face.
Some attempts are made togroom parts of the rump, back and
(25:19):
shoulders, but badgers canonly contort to groom some of their
bodies.
This is where the aloegrooming becomes vital to a badger's
grooming and subsequently its health.
The proportion of groomingdirected to each segment of the body
differs.
This means allo groomingbadgers direct their attention to
(25:41):
areas the badgers beinggroomed cannot reach.
One thing is clear though.
Badgers have the responsiverule which dictates that grooming
can be initiated generouslybut rapidly withdrawn.
In other words, one badgerwill start to groom another spontaneously
(26:01):
and if the recipientreciprocates, will continue until
one eventually stops.
But if the recipient doesn'treturn, the initiating badger will
stop quickly.
One thing I have noticed withmutual grooming is that the shoulders
are frequently the initiationsite when grooming a new partner.
(26:27):
Badgers in the wild can livefor as long as 15 years.
However, most badgers dieyoung, with an average lifespan of
just three short years.
Earlier this week, a short butintense thunderstorm came through
whilst I was sitting watchingthe badgers.
(26:47):
Now, some noises do disturbbadgers and they may suppress activity
and delay emergence.
But thunder, lightning andeven hailstones do not seem to bother
them.
I guess thunder is associatedwith rain and humidity and both will
bring earthworms to thesurface, which is feeding time for
(27:08):
badgers.
I don't think any wild animalis that perturbed by wet and stormy
weather when there is apotential abundance of food to be
enjoyed.
As June arrives, the cubs willbe weaned and they will know their
way around the set.
The cubs are now confidentenough to forage with their other
(27:28):
clan members and sometimes alone.
In June, badgers will oftensleep in day nests above the ground.
Another cleaning behavior thatis very entertaining to watch is
scratching.
In addition to tree trunks,badgers may scratch fence posts or
other suitable objects.
(27:49):
When scratching, the badgergets up on its hind legs, reaches
as high as it can with itsfront paws and then brings them down,
scraping against the wood asit does so.
This is said to improve muscletone and clean mud from the claws.
Some believe it is one way ofmarking their territories, and all
(28:11):
of these are possibly true.
Another change is that badgerswill now travel much further at night.
A male badger can be gone formany hours and have been seen in
neighbouring villages,sometimes up to four, maybe even
8km away from the main set.
(28:32):
The females will stay closerto the set and they will move more
slowly but still cover asimilar area to that of the males.
I hope you enjoyed spendingtime with the badgers this spring.
If you haven't already doneso, then please do check out our
Badgers in Winter podcast thatcame on series one of the Wildlife
(28:57):
Matters podcast and that hasbeen this week's Wildlife Matters
main feature on badgers in springtime.
(29:21):
We hope you enjoyed spendingtime with our local local badgers
this spring, learning abouttheir habits and how the search for
food, shelter and the strongbonds of the family drives them on.
In season one of the WildlifeMatters podcast, we explored the
lives of badgers during winterand in future episodes we will also
(29:44):
discuss their ecology in bothsummer and autumn.
Badgers have always held aspecial place in my heart.
Over the years I have observed them.
And watched their families goabout their daily routines.
This has been one of thehighlights of my wildlife watching
experiences.
(30:06):
Many badger groups offerbadger watching evenings.
And most counties have a localbadger group.
To find your local group,please visit the Badger Trust website.
The website address will be inthe show notes, but it is www.badgertrust.org.
(30:27):
as always, we appreciate yourvaluable time.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Wildlife Matters will returnin two weeks with the final episode
of season five.
And in that episode, we willexamine the fascinating lives of
foxes during springtime.
(30:49):
We will also share the latestnews stories about wildlife and nature,
and, of course, spend time innature with our mindful moments.
So until next time, wild onesstay curious.
This is Wildlife Matterssigning off.
Hello and welcome to thisweek's Wildlife Matters podcast.
Well, Ostara has passed,bringing with it the light and the
energy.
And spring is here.
The signs of nature arebursting into life all around us.
Dawn chorus marks thebeginning of a new day.
As the cubs stir in their densand the spawn in our ponds begins.
(00:49):
To transform, we can hearchicks in.
Nests chirping for more food.
This week's episode is one Ihave been looking forward to as we
feature badgers in springtime.
It's part of our look at theecology and the behavior of badgers
throughout the year.
(01:10):
And in this week's WildlifeMatters mindful moment, we have something
very special.
The sound of an iconic nativemammal, rarely heard and not known
for its vocalizations.
But first, this week'sWildlife Matters and Nature News
includes stories about thephantom of the forest, the announcement
(01:33):
of a new national woodland andthe success of.
The Sussex Sea Kelp project.
And we will share all of thesestories next on this week's Wildlife
Matters Nature News.
(02:01):
Foreign.
Welcome to this week'sWildlife Matters Nature News, the
section of the podcast wherewe look at some of the wildlife and
nature stories that are ofinterest right now.
In late March 2025.
Our first story is about theelusive phantom of the forest, which
(02:25):
has been expanding its rangein the uk, after more than a century
of persecution, are finallylooking up for the goshawk, one of
the UK's most spectacular andelusive birds of prey.
There are now more than 1200pairs of goshawks in the UK as their
(02:47):
slow recovery continues.
Could we see this majesticbird nesting in our cities, parks
and urban spaces as they do inother European countries?
Well, research from theBritish Trust for Ornithology suggests
that the bird's range isexpanding and that we might even
(03:07):
be able to see goshawks in ourparks and cities in the future.
With its barred grey and whitebelly, yellow legs and amber eyes,
the goshawk resembles asparrowhawk but is much larger.
Deforestation, pesticide useand persecution by gamekeepers pushed
(03:28):
goshawks to the brink of extinction.
It was ultimately saved byfalconers who released imported goshawks
from Europe.
And the birds thrived.
British goshawks are primarilywoodland birds, unlike their European
counterparts which inhabitforests and urban areas.
(03:49):
Researchers are investigatinghow the birds future range and habitats
might change as their numbers increase.
And with special license, IanHenderson and his colleagues at the
BTO fitted solar poweredtracking devices to 29 goshawk chicks
from 22 nests in Norfolk,Suffolk and Gloucestershire.
(04:12):
When the birds left the nest,the tags tracked their movements
and surprisingly they didn'ttravel that far.
Instead of heading to distantwoodlands, most.
Young birds spent their firstwinter on the outskirts of their
parents breeding territory,occupying a small area no more than
10 kilometers from theirnative nest.
(04:34):
A significant differencebetween adults and newly fledged
birds was their habitatpreferences, with young males favoring
open farmland, while olderadults and juvenile females preferred
dense woodland.
This may be attributed to thesize differences, with female juveniles
and adult birds beingrelatively large compared with male
(04:57):
juveniles, who are smaller andmay be more adept at catching small
birds in open landscapes.
As the young goshawks matured,males joined the females and adult
birds in the thicker woodlands.
The short dispersal distancesobserved in the study indicate that
it may take some time forgoshawks to spread out of their forest
(05:18):
strongholds.
However, their ability toutilise non forest habitats suggests
we could witness goshawksnesting in urban areas in future
this week's second storyconcerns the creation of a new national
forest in the west of centralto southern England.
The government announced thisweek a significant initiative to
(05:39):
plant up to 20 million treesand create two and a half thousand
hectares of new woodland inthe west of England as part of the
National Forest Initiative.
The Western Forest willconsist of new and existing woodlands
across Gloucestershire,Wiltshire, Somerset, the Cotswolds
(06:00):
and the Mendips, as well as inurban areas such as Bristol, Swindon
and Gloucester.
The forest will be the firstof three new national forests the
government has promised tohelp meet its legally binding target
of achieving 16.5% woodlandcoverage in England by 2050.
(06:22):
Only 10% coverage has beenachieved today, prompting environmental
groups to warn that much moreneeds to be done to meet the tree
planting targets.
Recent research Researchestimates that the total woodland
area in the UK isapproximately 3.28 million hectares,
which represents just 13% ofthe total land area.
(06:46):
However, England only has 10%woodland cover.
The aim across the UK is toplant 30,000 hectares of woodland
annually.
The latest annual figuresindicate that about 21,000 hectares
were planted, with the vastmajority being in Scotland and just
5,500 hectares in England.
(07:08):
Alex Stone, chief executive ofthe Forest of Avon Trust, which leads
the partnership behind theWestern Forest project, told Wildlife
Matters that some regions inthe area currently have only 7% tree
cover.
This is about increasing treecoverage in those areas where we
need it, alex explained.
(07:28):
Our goal with the WesternForest is to reach 20% canopy cover
by 2050 and in five priorityareas we aim to exceed 30%, she continued.
Over the next five years, thegovernment has committed seven and
a half million of public fundsto the forest project.
Government officials say theproject will support.
(07:49):
The UK's drive towards netzero emissions, promote economic
growth and create regional jobs.
Mary Cray, the Minister forNature, expressed her hope that the
Western Forest wouldsignificantly improve water quality,
flood resilience and wildlifewhile bringing nature closer to community.
(08:10):
She acknowledged that morework is needed to achieve England's
national tree planting target,saying, I am confident that we can
reach our goals.
Projects like this give mehope and confidence that we can succeed
with everyone's cooperationfrom the public and the private sectors.
The Western Forest isEngland's first new national forest
(08:32):
designated in 30 years.
It follows the establishmentof the original national forest,
which is it coversLeicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire,
where 9.8 million trees havebeen planted.
The new Western Forest willstretch from Gloucester in the north
to include Swindon, Salisburyand Bristol, focusing on the urban
(08:53):
areas, especially in Bristoland Gloucester.
The initiative is part of thegovernment's plan to establish three
new national forests.
By the end of theparliamentary term.
This week's final story isabout a marine success on the south
coast where the SussexWildlife Trust runs the Sea Kelp
Restoration Project.
(09:14):
The Sussex Kelp RecoveryProject was launched in March 2021
after implementing a new bylawprohibiting trawling.
The law protects a coastalarea of.
117 square miles, or 302square kilometers, which runs from
Chorum Sea to Selsee.
(09:35):
As the project celebrates itsits fourth anniversary, researchers
have reported encouragingsigns of recovery, including increased
population of lobster, browncrabs, angel sharks and short snouted
seahorses.
Project lead Dr.
Chris Yessen shared withWildlife Matters, we still have a
(09:56):
way to go, but it's excitingto see nature begin to flourish once
more.
Historically, kelp forestscover vast stretches of coastline
in Sussex.
However, by 2019, 96% of thesekelp forests have been destroyed,
primarily due to the GreatStorm of 1987 and fishing practices,
(10:19):
which are known as bottom trawling.
Kelp forests provide essentialhabitat, nurseries and feeding grounds
for a lot of marine wildlife.
There are also sequesters oflarge amounts of carbon, improve
water quality and they help toreduce coastal erosion.
The Sussex Nearshore Trawlingwas introduced in 2021, has allowed
(10:43):
fish habitats to recover.
In response to the bylaw, SirDavid Attenborough called it a vital
win in the fight againstbiodiversity loss and the climate
crisis.
Following this, the SussexKelp Recovery Project was established
to study and promote thereturn of the kelp.
The project has registered 400kelp recorders through the Sussex
(11:07):
Wildlife Trust, CitizenScience program to gather observations.
Since the bylaw'simplementation, the project has documented
the presence of oysters andhoneycomb worms and an increase in
shallow dwelling species suchas the Atlantic mackerel, sand eels
and mullet.
(11:28):
Local free diver Eric Smithexpressed his excitement saying,
I was apprehended about what Iwould find this year after such a
stormy winter, but to myabsolute delight I witnessed a dramatic
increase in marine biodiversity.
Sussex Wildlife Trust KelpRecovery Coordinator George Short
(11:49):
noted the remarkable expansionof mussel.
Beds which had not been seen in.
The area for decades.
It's nice to finish with somepositive news on this week's Wildlife
Matters Nature News.
(12:21):
Well, how excited are youabout the prospect of seeing goshawks
in our urban landscape,landscape, cities and parks in the
future?
What are your thoughts oncreating three.
New national forests withinthe next five years?
We also have great news fromthe Sussex coast.
Kelp and shallow marine lifespecies have recovered in just four
(12:44):
years and we would love tohear your thoughts and comments on
any of the stories that wehave shared with you today.
You can share them on yourpodcast providers site or in the
YouTube comments section below.
If you prefer, you can emailus at infooildlife-matters.org and
(13:06):
don't forget to say hello.
Today we have an intriguingmindful moment for you.
It features a native wildanimal not typically known for its
vocalizations.
However, as this short audioclip reveals, it has an interesting
range of ways to communicatewith others.
(13:27):
So sit back, relax and see ifyou can guess which animal we have
recorded for this week'sWildlife Matters mindful moment.
(15:01):
Well, those sounds are notsomething that most people encounter
daily, but they were recordednear to Wildlife Mountain Matters
HQ at a location we have beenobserving for nearly two decades.
We've been fortunate enough towitness several generations of badgers
born in our local set as theygrow up and in some cases have had
(15:26):
their own cubs.
This audio recording featuresa small group of younger badgers
from the set playing andgrooming themselves before the dominant
sow and boar emerge.
After family time and a littlemutual grooming, each badger heads
off in a different directionto search for food.
(15:50):
And this brings us to today'sWildlife Matters main feature.
It's part of a series of articles.
And podcasts that followedbadgers for a whole year and today
we will be focusing on badgersin springtime.
(16:21):
Hello and welcome to thisweek's Wildlife Matters, a main feature.
And this is one I've beenreally looking forward to because
we are talking about badgersin springtime over the Last few weeks,
I have been immersed in thewoodland watching my local badgers.
(16:42):
The cubs were born back inJanuary and spend at least a couple
of months underground withtheir mothers.
For many years, I have enjoyedchecking my local sets.
Thankfully, here in theSoutheast, we do not have the threat
of a badger cull that has hadsuch a devastating impact on badger
(17:06):
populations.
In some areas of the country,finding signs of badger activity,
such as fresh digging, isalways exciting.
Other indications of an activeset include discarded bedding, including
grass and bracken removed fromthe set's underground chambers during
(17:28):
regular cleaning.
Badgers are very clean animals.
They are fastidious creaturesand constantly change their bedding.
Already this year, one of mytrail cameras has filmed a sow badger
bundling grass and othervegetation under her chest.
(17:49):
She held the material with herforepaws before jerkily moving backwards
to carry it underground downinto her set.
Wandering through these badgerwoodlands brings many other rewards.
With song thrushes andblackbirds now singing their beautiful
spring songs, greater spottedwoodpeckers are also making their
(18:15):
presence felt.
I adore their machine gunsounding rat, a tat tat that resonates
as they furiously drum theirbills against the hollow tree boughs
to advertise their presence toother woodpeckers.
Apart from snowdrops, thefirst spring wildflowers are only
just beginning to show.
(18:37):
Spring does appear a littlesleepy and unable to get itself going
just yet.
It will do so, though, in thenext few weeks, with lesser celandines
and wooden enemies being theprecursors, especially on sunnier,
south facing slopes.
In the darker, damper woodlandareas opposite, leaved golden saxifrage
(18:59):
is also starting to carpet the ground.
Each flower is as subtle andsmall, making it complex to discern
them individually.
Still growing together, theyform a distinctive floral tapestry
that sweeps across the forestfloor like a golden sea.
(19:20):
In April, when food suppliesare plentiful again, the badger cubs
explore the set entrance andmay emerge.
Tempted by the many new scentsand sounds outside.
The sow protects her cubs andensures that they stay close to the
set.
Aloe badger cubs are born at atime of year that maximizes their
(19:43):
chances of survival.
On average, only one of every three.
Cubs survives to its first birthday.
Male and female cubs becomesexually mature at around 11 to 15
months and may mates beforethe end of their first year in areas
where food supply is plentiful.
(20:06):
European badgers are unusualamongst the mustelids because they
live in highly social familygroups called clans.
Yet they show little sign ofcooperative behavior within the clan.
I've Noticed that clanformation is usually in areas with
abundant food resource andhigh population densities.
(20:29):
For example, areas with lowbadger density, such as the Scottish
Highland.
Clans tend to consist of adominant male and female, sometimes
with a couple of related individuals.
I've heard that badgers havesubordinate non breeding females
to help the parents.
Foxes often have aunties ordaughters to help their parents raise
(20:53):
cubs.
But the badgers assist the sowby cleaning the bedding from the
set, gathering new bedding andbuilding set extensions.
It reminds me of a story DaveWilliams told me when he saw babysitters
rounding up cubs that hadstrayed too far from the set.
They were chasing a fox and onone occasion the dog fox was nicked
(21:16):
or lightly bitten by one ofthe cubs, making him scamper away,
squealing loudly.
More from shots and surprise,I think, than any other injury.
I've also seen mutual scentingwhere the babysitter scent marks
the cubs and the cubs scentmark the babysitter.
(21:36):
So all the badgers in the setshare the same smell.
On three occasions I have seena mother and a subordinate carrying
the cubs from the chamberwhere they slept with their mother
to one where they have sleptwith the babysitter.
This is known as alloparental behaviour.
(21:57):
Another behaviour I have seenduring early spring is the bedding
being dragged out of the setand left at the entrance to air.
This is to kill any lice,ticks and fleas in the bedding that
could parasitize the badgers.
Airing bedding is an essentialpart of maintaining hygiene within
(22:18):
the set.
I've heard that badgers haveeven moved sets in certain situations
due to a buildup of parasitesin their bedding.
May is an excellent time tostart watching the badgers.
As the days get warmer andlonger, the badgers will begin to
emerge in daylight.
The cubs will now be three tofour months old and come above the
(22:42):
ground to explore around theset and to play with other badgers
again.
I've been told that badgers insets situated in open areas may emerge
later than those living in theCOVID of woodland.
But I have not seen any directevidence of this.
I've also heard that badgersin sets situated in open areas may
(23:03):
emerge later than those livingin the COVID of woodland.
Although I have not seen anydirect evidence of this my myself.
Back in the 1960s, ArthurJolland suggested that some badgers
may listen for specific soundsupon waking up, use them as cues
for emergence and becomedependent upon them as we might an
(23:27):
alarm clock.
To back up his theory, Jollenscited three examples.
The first one was badgers inthe Meon Valley in Hampshire, where
he observed them consistentlyemerging only after the last train
of the day had passed the setat 21:18.
The second was badgers at aset in Walnut in Hampshire, apparently
(23:51):
taking the call of a malepheasant going to roost every night
as the queue to commence theirown nightly activity.
The third story intrigued meas it was at my local set in Elm
Bridge, where he claimed thebadgers wouldn't begin leaving the
set until the first eveninghoot of the resident tawny owl was
heard.
(24:12):
This resonated with me astoday, 60 or so years later, my own
local badgers are stillwaiting for the local tawny owls
to call before they begin to emerge.
This is clearly a learnedbehaviour passed down through many
generations.
Anyone who has watched badgersat their set will know that they
(24:35):
spend a significant amount oftime grooming.
The longest grooming boutstend to occur shortly after emergence
from the set.
But it's not uncommon to see abadger sit down and scratch in the
middle of feeding.
In addition to groomingthemselves, badgers also groom other
clan members, a behaviourknown as allo grooming.
(24:58):
Grooming.
When badgers groom themselves,they tend to do so sitting down or
lying on one side of theother, particularly to groom that
side.
While self grooming, a badgerwill focus on its stomach, legs,
tail and face.
Some attempts are made togroom parts of the rump, back and
(25:19):
shoulders, but badgers canonly contort to groom some of their
bodies.
This is where the aloegrooming becomes vital to a badger's
grooming and subsequently its health.
The proportion of groomingdirected to each segment of the body
differs.
This means allo groomingbadgers direct their attention to
(25:41):
areas the badgers beinggroomed cannot reach.
One thing is clear though.
Badgers have the responsiverule which dictates that grooming
can be initiated generouslybut rapidly withdrawn.
In other words, one badgerwill start to groom another spontaneously
(26:01):
and if the recipientreciprocates, will continue until
one eventually stops.
But if the recipient doesn'treturn, the initiating badger will
stop quickly.
One thing I have noticed withmutual grooming is that the shoulders
are frequently the initiationsite when grooming a new partner.
(26:27):
Badgers in the wild can livefor as long as 15 years.
However, most badgers dieyoung, with an average lifespan of
just three short years.
Earlier this week, a short butintense thunderstorm came through
whilst I was sitting watchingthe badgers.
(26:47):
Now, some noises do disturbbadgers and they may suppress activity
and delay emergence.
But thunder, lightning andeven hailstones do not seem to bother
them.
I guess thunder is associatedwith rain and humidity and both will
bring earthworms to thesurface, which is feeding time for
(27:08):
badgers.
I don't think any wild animalis that perturbed by wet and stormy
weather when there is apotential abundance of food to be
enjoyed.
As June arrives, the cubs willbe weaned and they will know their
way around the set.
The cubs are now confidentenough to forage with their other
(27:28):
clan members and sometimes alone.
In June, badgers will oftensleep in day nests above the ground.
Another cleaning behavior thatis very entertaining to watch is
scratching.
In addition to tree trunks,badgers may scratch fence posts or
other suitable objects.
(27:49):
When scratching, the badgergets up on its hind legs, reaches
as high as it can with itsfront paws and then brings them down,
scraping against the wood asit does so.
This is said to improve muscletone and clean mud from the claws.
Some believe it is one way ofmarking their territories, and all
(28:11):
of these are possibly true.
Another change is that badgerswill now travel much further at night.
A male badger can be gone formany hours and have been seen in
neighbouring villages,sometimes up to four, maybe even
8km away from the main set.
(28:32):
The females will stay closerto the set and they will move more
slowly but still cover asimilar area to that of the males.
I hope you enjoyed spendingtime with the badgers this spring.
If you haven't already doneso, then please do check out our
Badgers in Winter podcast thatcame on series one of the Wildlife
(28:57):
Matters podcast and that hasbeen this week's Wildlife Matters
main feature on badgers in springtime.
(29:21):
We hope you enjoyed spendingtime with our local local badgers
this spring, learning abouttheir habits and how the search for
food, shelter and the strongbonds of the family drives them on.
In season one of the WildlifeMatters podcast, we explored the
lives of badgers during winterand in future episodes we will also
(29:44):
discuss their ecology in bothsummer and autumn.
Badgers have always held aspecial place in my heart.
Over the years I have observed them.
And watched their families goabout their daily routines.
This has been one of thehighlights of my wildlife watching
experiences.
(30:06):
Many badger groups offerbadger watching evenings.
And most counties have a localbadger group.
To find your local group,please visit the Badger Trust website.
The website address will be inthe show notes, but it is www.badgertrust.org.
(30:27):
as always, we appreciate yourvaluable time.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Wildlife Matters will returnin two weeks with the final episode
of season five.
And in that episode, we willexamine the fascinating lives of
foxes during springtime.
(30:49):
We will also share the latestnews stories about wildlife and nature,
and, of course, spend time innature with our mindful moments.
So until next time, wild onesstay curious.
This is Wildlife Matterssigning off.
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