Monday, May 17, 2010

Weekend Wildlife

While home this weekend I felt the need to go on a photo circle. I jumped on a 4-wheeler and made a big loop around our place, snapping photos of baby calves, sheep, flowers and the like.

Then, when I'm almost ready to hit the road for home I see what looks like a miniature grizzly bear loping across the pasture. I realize it's a badger, and start snapping pictures since I assume he will go down his hole and I won't get anything better than this...

But I drive closer and he just sits there, watching me. I am across a rough draw from him at this point and decided to go around and see if he is still there.


And he was!! Just sitting there with his head poking out. I approached slowly on my 4-wheeler. Badgers are notoriously grumpy and tough and I didn't want to make him mad, or cause him to go down his hole at this point.


But as I sat there he started sniffing around and slowly emerging from his house.


He wasn't making that weird noise they do when they get mad or stomping his feet, just seemed curious.


But I still got a little nervous as he became more daring, and as I realized that I was tangled up in my camera gear, ipod headphones with my gloves and random other stuff sitting on my lap and only a rubber boot and target sock to protect my left foot if he did get mad. I silently wondered just how fast off the line a mad badger is...I still need to look that up for future reference.


So I moved, just a little, and he immediately scurried down his hole. I sat there for a few minutes silently calling myself a wimp for being concerned about my foot at a time like this! But before he disappeared I was able to snap these and several other great photos.

For more information on the American badger, click here

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