The Emergence…
(Badgers at Temple Balsall…)
Barely a breeze. A copse of greenery. And celandines.
Bird sounds. Grazing sheep. A place sedate. An entity.
Detritus. Fractured branches. A beer bottle. A dented can.
Verges in the lane thick with black tyre-tracked mire…
Evening chill. A woodland deserted. No badger signs.
Moist ground. Vacated sett holes. An unkempt waste. A fragility.
Vexatious. Myriad shrubs. A cloudy sunset. A Sainsbury van
Surges in the lane with unwise speed, beyond twisted barbed wire…
Then a crunching sound was heard, so that I stood statuesque
And scoured the copse with frowning, searching eyes.
A badger, partly hidden by erupted plants and weed
Approached from behind an undulating, sodden rise.
Soon, two or three others began to emerge from several
Dark holes and munched at the morsels of food presented.
Including one quite close to where I lurked in silence,
Its sudden appearance surprising and unprecedented.
A twig in its sett entrance then began to fidget, as if tugged
And soon a cub showed with its neat, almost fluffy shape,
Feeding voraciously, yet playfully but guarded by its parent
Until a strong gust of wind forced a rather hasty escape…
Pete Ray
27th April 2024…
My first sighting of badgers at Temple Balsall for quite some time and it was a relief that they seemed to be doing well…
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