Badger Emergence / Badger Times of Emergence

The first badger emergence of the evening invariably provides a magical moment for watchers at the sett, a moment to lift the spirits no matter how many times it has previously been witnessed.

Yes, that first glimpse of an enquiring black and white face at a sett entrance, usually seen as the light fades, offers joyous confirmation that the watchers' evening will be fruitful and imparts a huge sense of relief that the field-craft skills employed to obtain a view have paid off.

But perhaps most importantly, that first sighting promises further enthralling, though often all too brief, experiences shared with one of the UK's largest but most secretive mammals.

Frequently a single badger - the advance guard - will appear first in the sett entrance. Only the head will be visible as Brock sniffs the air, listens intently and looks around, ever alert to the potential dangers that lurk outside the safety of its underground warren of tunnels. Regardless of the outcome of these investigations, the badger will often go back underground for a while and, if danger was sensed, might not re-emergence for quite some time. But if all is well, the animal is likely to quickly reappear, maybe but not always followed by other members of the clan.

Time of first emergence

The time of first emergence varies seasonally.

From March until October, it can be largely correlated with day-length. More specifically, in March and much of April, first emergence is often soon after dark, whilst from mid-April until late-June, the initial appearance is frequently quite soon after sunset. Then from late-June until the end of August, when the hours of darkness are more limited, emergence may frequently be before sunset; whilst in September, the first badgers are far less likely to be seen before sunset, and in October will almost certainly not appear until after dark.

But from November through to February, when first emergence is almost always after dark - sometimes significantly so - day-length is not so much of a critical factor in influencing emergence times.

Not all setts are equal, though, as the exact time of first emergence is affected by a number of other factors that can be categorised as light and shade, disturbance, weather, food and the presence, or otherwise, of cubs. And then, of course, individual badgers have their own idiosyncrasies - certainly, some seem to like a lie-in for not all sett occupants will necessarily emerge at the same time whilst some, on occasion, may not emerge at all.

And finally, let's now briefly consider each of the additional factors that influence emergence time.

Light and shade

The greater the amount of light falling on a sett towards the end of the day, the more likely it is that emergence will be delayed; whilst the occupants of setts in lower-light situations will probably emerge earlier than their better-illuminated counterparts.

Factors influencing the amount of light reaching a sett include, for example, tree, vegetation and cloud cover; the extent to which location and / or obstacles - such as intervening trees and hillsides - reduce the sett's exposure to the sunset; and the amount of moonlight hitting the sett.

Disturbance

Clearly, emergence will be delayed by undue disturbance at a sett, whether this is by humans or any other perceived threats to badgers (such as dogs). Regular background noise from traffic, for example, will, however, have little effect.

(Presumably, New Forest badgers learn to ignore the activities of deer and commoners' stock).

Weather

Weather, too, influences the time of first emergence. Badgers, quite understandably, aren't too keen on heavy rain and are likely to stay indoors until it eases, although once out, may tolerate such conditions. Light rain, however, especially if accompanied by humid conditions - great for earthworms - might bring the badgers out earlier.

Particularly cold weather, frost and snow, sometimes inhibits emergence, although badgers do not hibernate for lengthy periods. And counter-intuitively, this type of weather sometimes encourages earlier emergence, for then earthworms and other invertebrate foodstuffs are more readily available than later in the night.

High winds are also unwelcome in the badgers' world, maybe because in those conditions, senses of smell and hearing are impaired; whilst the animals often seem to be frightened by undue noise in the trees.

Food

Food availability, which, as already noted, can be heavily influenced by the seasons and the weather, affects emergence times. When food is in short supply - for example, in summer when the ground is dry and earthworms are hard to find - hunger will encourage the badgers to emerge earlier, whilst in times of plenty, after a previous night of good feeding, emergence might be delayed or indeed cancelled altogether.

Cubs

The presence, or otherwise, of cubs can also have a significant effect on times of first emergence.

When cubs are present, the sow in early spring - from the time of births until around the end of April - is usually first to emerge, sometimes quite early, as she is likely to need to find enough food to maintain her milk supply. Then from May and throughout the summer, cubs typically emerge first, again sometimes quite early - probably, like small children, they get easily bored, and are then desperate to start the evening's foraging, 'play fighting' and exploration.

When no cubs at all are present, emergence is often relatively late.

Further information and a variety of fascinating badger videos

References:
The Natural History of Badgers, Ernest Neal
Badgers: Ernest Neal and Chris Cheeseman
Darkness Is Light Enough: Chris Ferris
Out of the Darkness: Chris Ferris
Eileen Soper's Badgers
Mammals of Britain and Europe: David Macdonald and Priscilla Barrett

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