Mägra aasta 2016

Animal of the Year

Latvian badger castles

 

This year, the Badger Year, Latvian zoologists installed several track cameras in protected Latvian forests. As in Estonia, our southern neighbours until now have no proper overview of their badger population. To complement the knowledge about badgers the Latvian forest agency Silava chose three large badger castles in northwestern Latvia in a nature reserve area, installed the cameras and now have sent us pictures and video cuts. In the video we can see how the badger –   āpsis in Latvian  – scratches itself. The other members of the large castle are not visible at the moment but it is known that a large number of inhabitants live there, more than in the home of our video stars in Saaremaa.

VIDEO: Badger turned terrorist

Video  Urmas Lett
Translation Liis

 

Badger   Mäger        Meles meles     
 
In the video from Wednesday night we saw a strange badger in the webcam. It at once attacked the male who protected his nest at the opening to the den (below is a link to the video from Wednesday).
 
In the present video we see the same creature in daylight, and it is a quite large individual. In the beginning the male nest owner appears and makes a short tour in the forest. After about half the video the huffing stranger appears.

VIDEO: Nice to be outdoors after winter

Video record Urmas Lett, www.eenet.ee
Translation Liis

 

 
Badger   Mäger, common names also  määr or kähr       Meles meles
 
In fact, as the videos show, the badgers in the web camera have been out for longer periods only for three days. Trail cameras in several locations in Estonia show however that badgers went out already after the so-called cold spell on January 27th.

Badger camera starts

Introduction by Tiit Hunt, rmk.ee
Transmission courtesy of Teetormaja and EENet
Translation Liis
The doings of badgers could be followed in real time for the first time in Estonia in 2014, from mid-May until September. Last year we could watch the hard-working burrow denizens from the end of April until September. This year we started the badger camera already in February, to get an overview of the doings of the Animal of the Year during almost a whole year.

VIDEO: Happenings at badger den

Trail camera video Mats Kangur
Activity track images recorded by  Tiit Hunt
 
Badger    Mäger        Meles meles
 
The reading of this year’s track book was confoundingly tricky. There is no lasting snow cover nor daytime thaw and a new fresh snow layer on it. Because of this we have not reported the mating moves of felines nor canines  - the tracks simply will not tell a clear story.
 
Of course the larger predators make their tours at the badger burrows.

VIDEO: About the winter activities of badgers

Video, trail camera images and text Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
Translation: Liis

 

On the border between Harju and Rapla counties, in a hazel stand with large aspens and some spruces and birches, there is a badger castle with more than ten openings. Here on a hazel a trail camera was mounted in the end of January  to observe whether badgers, besides sleeping, also go outdoors in winter. 
 
Photos and video records testify that there is plenty of activity whenever warmer weather arrives, and that there is no lack of visitors. Four badgers, probably two adults and their two young, are active at the den every evening and night.

VIDEO: Annual cycle of the animal of the year

Text and video Tiit Hunt, www.rmk.ee
Photo Jüri Pere
Translation Liis
Badger in Saaremaa.
 
Badger; Eurasian badger    Mäger       Meles meles
 
The tradition of electing an animal of the year has not existed for long. The first attempt to have an animal of the year goes back 9 years, when in 2007 the badger was to have the title.
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