The final dusk watch of 2011 took place on Thursday 22nd September with the last lucky group of visitors. Some evenings throughout the summer we were more lucky than others, but always enjoying the atmosphere of the reserve as night falls.
We had three nights with unbelievable and magical views of badgers and once in a lifetime spectacles. This was including our last night where we watched an adult and two cubs playing nearby, unaware of us peering round the trees to spot them. The photograph below was taken on our last night by Teri, one of the visitors on the walk.
We had other nights with fantastic views of foxes feeding with their cubs and one evening we had a pair of tawny owls calling incessantly to one another. The corvid roost above our heads was a guaranteed spectacle every evening, with hundreds of jackdaws and crows calling louder and louder as darkness fell.
On the walk back we always finished off the night nicely with great views of the bats on the reserve, and we used bat detectors for an extra experience for the visitors.
Join us next summer for our dusk watches and see what nocturnal creatures you have the fortune to meet at The Lodge.
AH now i know how to see a badger and maybe even get a photograph brilliant.