Night visitor

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We had friends to stay at the weekend and they brought with them a motion-activated night-vision camera. They set it up opposite what is obviously a well-trodden gap in the fence between us and our next-door-neighbours, and were delighted next morning to see photos and videos of a whole series of visitors. First was a fox. A bit later along came a female muntjac deer, followed not long after by a male. And then most exciting was this badger. Why is a badger particularly exciting? You may wonder. Well basically because we have already seen both deer and fox in the daylight, so we know they are around. But we’ve only seen a badger once in the nine years we’ve lived here. Obviously we’re just not out at the right time. The one time I did see a badger I came out of the garage in the dark and almost fell over it as I walked across the garden! Notable by its absence was any sign of a hedgehog, sadly. Hedgehog populations are declining in the UK and I haven’t seen a live one in several years now. And just to confuse sentiments even further, badgers are known to both compete with and prey on hedgehogs, so while seeing more badgers is good news it could be bad news for the hedgehogs. What wildlife to you get visiting your garden? All rights reserved. © Text copyright Fleur 2026.