April 2025 Evening Wildlife Watching Hide Update
- Harris Brooker
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
Spring is now here, and all the animals at our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide are becoming more active. The Badgers are coming in every night, the Pine Martens have been coming in more regularly and the Scottish Wildcat is still present. There are Wood Mice to be seen, and even the first Bank Voles of the year are making an appearance
Badgers
The Badgers have been active every night this month, now that winter has passed and it’s no longer as cold. One night, the first Badger to be seen was actually in a place where they aren’t normally seen. At the back of the hide. I went into the back of the hide to check if the Scottish Wildcat was about, but on this occasion, there was a Badger instead. It looked alert. It came towards the hide but was somehow not seen again. Later in the evening, however, a male badger came in with its head bowed followed bya female Badger came in, to feed with alongside him. After they left third Badger came in, but dissapeared rather quickly, without appearing to have fed on anything. Nonetheless, the guests left that evening feeling satisfied.
Pine Martens
The Pine Martens continues to be a regular feature of the hide. One quiet evening, I was keeping an eye out for any signs of Badgers coming in and a gasp came from the guests to say that a Pine Marten had appeared. When I checked, it was the new female. She sat on the platform and fed on the peanuts and sultanas laid out for her. It was late in the evening, at 22:13 when she appeared and at 22:34 she announced she was leaving by spraying the platform with its urine before making its way up the branches into the twin Lawson’s Cypresses overlooking the platform, climbed down and disappeared. On another night we waited three hours without success for a Pine Marten and then after the guests had left and I’d gone back inside to tidy up, both Pine Martens were there together. The young male on the platform and the new female in the nearby branches. Then when the male had left she took his place and eventually went into the treetops after she’d finished.
Scottish Wildcat
The Scottish Wildcat is still present and has been spotted on occcasion. One night I was going to and from the back of the hide to check if it was about, as the Wildcat feels more secure at the back of the hideWhen I came back into the front viewing area, I looked out of the right-hand window and saw the Wildcat walking below. One guest managed to see it. Thinking it would appear around the back I called everybody round, and we waited to see if it would emerge again. Sadly, it didn’t, but hopefully as the year goes on there will be a higher chance of seeing it as it will feel more at ease coming onto the platform in earlier daylight and with less chance of meeting the Badgers.
Other Wildlife
Wood Mice are now an almost nightly feature of the hide, dashing out of their holes to grab peanuts before disappearing back inside again. We have also had the first Bank Vole of this year, seen twice coming out of its hole. Sometimes it would sit openly before feeding and going back inside. Tawny Owls are being heard and sometimes, occasionally both Barn Owl, and the first Woodcocks have been heard. Some nights, Robins have come in to take advantage of the peanut butter, just as the light is going down and Blackbirds and Song Thrushes songs are filling the evening air.
If you would like a chance to see our nocturnal visitors go to: http://bit.ly/sw_EWW to book your place.
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