What can you tell me about badgers

Now that spring has sprung lets take a look at what the badger is up to at this time of year.

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Q.� Do badgers hibernate

A.� No, but they do become a lot less active during the winter months. Their mating patterns intensify during spring time.�So, if you're out in woodlands during the early evening listen out for the distinct grunting and whickering noises of courting badgers.

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Q.� When are badger cubs born

A.� Although badger mating goes on all year round cubs are always born around February. This is a natural survival mechanism: cubs born around this time have the greatest chance of survival because of the ready food supply and milder temperature once winter is over.

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Q.� How do badgers control when they become pregnant

A.� By employing a breeding phenomena known as delayed implantation. After mating, the fertilised eggs are held in the uterus in a state of suspended development for up to ten months. Once the eggs become implanted in the uterine wall, the badger gives birth to up to�six cubs after around�eight weeks.

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Q.� Where am I most likely to see badgers

A.� They prefer forests and grasslands.

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Q.� How can I spot signs of badger activity

A.� Give away signs include scratch marks on trees and hair caught in barbed wire. Badgers also leave distinctive droppings, fox-like with a long point at one end, in strategically placed latrines, which they use as territorial markers.

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Q.� How can I improve my chances of spotting some badgers

A.� Make sure you arrive at the sett at least half an hour before dark, badgers are nocturnal animals and emerge from their setts at dusk. To make yourself inconspicuous avoid wearing noisy, rustling clothing and stay downwind. If you need to use a torch, put a red filter over the beam, as badgers don't notice red light as much as yellow light. You may have a long wait, so get comfortable and warm.

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Most importantly, drive carefully to the sett. Springtime is when the cubs are beginning to explore their environment and sadly many of them become victims of road accidents.

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Q.� What is a sett like inside

A.� Setts, the name given to badgers' underground burrows, are made up of several chambers, passages and entrances. The setts are used by successive generations of badgers that keep them clean and tidy by airing nesting material in the sunshine.

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Q.� What do badgers eat

A.� Their natural diet includes earthworms, frogs, rodents, birds, eggs, lizards, insects, plant bulbs, seeds and berries.

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Got a question about another woodland creature Click here to ask it.

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By Lisa Cardy