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Badger forest is quite busy during the warm autumn, movement and traces of their activities can be seen in Saaremaa, in the Alutaguse forests and in southern Estonia as well. They seldom move in daylight, so few forest roamers have seen them.

 

Badgers have fattened up on animal and vegetable food: they are digging in the soil for worms, grubs, snails, imagos that have burrowed down for wintering. They also hunt for mice, small rodents and frogs that have crept underground for wintering but badgers are rather clumsy hunters. They rather eat acorns, mushrooms, berries, grassy plants; a particular favourite are oats. The body weight has doubled during the autumn and the fat layer can be four or five centimetres thick. A remarkable feat - the weight of a large adult animal is nearly 16 kg-s. Divide it by two and that will be the weight in spring.

 

When cold weather comes the badgers leave their dens (setts) less and less often. They fill the tunnels with dry leaves and soil, and fall into hibernation when the cold becomes permanent. With warmer winter weather the dens are aired and the badgers walk around a bit.

 

In the older part of the den the clan head resides - an old male and his mate. There are also young females from several years and the young from this and the previous year. In late winter a new generation is born in the sett.

 

See the nature film about the badger: