With enough patience and preparation, you might spot one of Britain’s most recognisable and iconic mammals. Read our guide to watching shy and nocturnal badgers emerge from the safety of their setts.
A silvery badger with characteristic black and white facial stripes crouches in the grassy bank.
How to spot badgers
Badger watching is a delightful experience – but requires plenty of patience and the ability to sit still for hours. If you can follow a few ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’, spotting badgers is surprisingly easy.
However, remember that these elusive creatures are strictly nocturnal and very wary of humans. Follow our tips for your best chance to see badgers.
1. Time your venture
Rarely seen in daylight, badgers emerge from their setts shortly before sunset. You’ll need to scout out your badger-watching spot before the badgers rise. Once you’ve got everything ready, get there an hour before sunset, get comfortable, and wait.
Although you might see badgers at any point throughout the year, they’re most active from April to June. In the late spring and early summer, you might see badger cubs play around the sett.
2. Know the signs
Before you head out with your binoculars, you need to find a sett. Badger setts are oval in shape, like a large, squashed rabbit hole.
Tracks: Look out for badger tracks along your canal. You’re most likely to see them along woodland edges, and they might lead you to the badger’s sett. Follow these well-worn badger paths and keep an eye out for badger fur – for instance, collected on barbed wire or other fencing. Not sure if it’s badger fur? Try rolling it between your fingers. Badger hair is oval in cross-section and is awkward to roll.
Badger claws are easily identifiable with a kidney-shaped pad and five-pointed toes with long claws.
Scat: Another tell-tale sign of a nearby sett is badger scat (poo). Badgers leave their scat in communal latrines at the border of their territory. These latrines look like disturbed ground with scat in small holes.
3. Locate a sett
Once you’ve followed the badger’s tracks to a latrine or sett, you need to wait patiently for the badgers to emerge. However, not all setts are active or occupied. Badgers have their main setts and outlier or subsidiary setts that might not be inhabited throughout the year.
How do you know if a sett is currently occupied by badgers? Firstly, look for disturbed ground. If there is recent trampling, freshly excavated mounds, or discarded bedding, there’s a good chance that the badgers are at home.
It’s best to position yourself downwind of the sett or above the sett to prevent the badgers from catching your smell. If your scent enters any of the underground entrances, it could permeate the entire sett and alert the badgers to danger. Sitting on a bank above the sett is a good idea. If they know you’re there, they might not come out.
Remain a respectful distance from the badgers and their sett and remember it’s against the law to disturb them.
A tunnel in the ground, surrounded by dry leaves and grass, marks the entrance to a badger's sett.
4. Find a good viewing point
Badgers have poor eyesight. However, it’s still best to blend into your surroundings as much as possible and avoid creating a silhouette.
Position yourself in front of trees or undergrowth. This will break up your outline and enable you to merge into the background. It might be sensible to work out several viewing points in case the wind is blowing in the wrong direction when you arrive.
It’s also a good idea to wear dark clothing, including a dark hat and gloves. You need to stay warm and dry without creating any sound. Waterproofs are noisy. So, if it’s going to be a wet night, layer your waterproofs under a fleece to muffle the sound.
Remember that you’ll need to sit motionless for a few hours, so comfort and warmth are key.
Here are our quick tips to make your badger watching a success.
Bring binoculars – they can help you see badgers in the dark. Have them ready in advance so you don’t make lots of noise digging them out.
Use a red light torch – you’ll scare any badgers away if you use bright, white light. A dim red light will enable you to see the badgers without frightening them.
Get ready in advance – even the smallest noise or slightest rustle is enough for the badgers to hear you and be alarmed.
Don’t let them see you – it’s best to stay motionless. However, if you must move, do so while the badgers are looking away.
Don’t let them smell you – avoid perfumes or smelling too clean. Some badger watchers leave their coats near the badger sett for up to a week.
Stay quiet – waterproof clothing can make loud rustling.
