It was a beautiful Spring evening on Saturday. As I set off along the track out of the village, both the wind and the setting sun were in my face, and I knew that this was a good sign because I would be able to watch the badger sett from across the valley, downwind.

As I crossed the river by the swing bridge, a pied wagtail trotted along the stonework, doing its imitation of a tightrope walker. Why do they wag their tail up and down as if to keep their balance, when they spend nearly all of their time on solid ground? I walked along the river bank with birds shouting their territorial song from all sides, and when I climbed the bank at the mouth of the valley, I looked everywhere for the tawny owls but without success.

As I moved quietly up the valley, I checked the sett with my binoculars, but no badgers were to be seen, and I settled against a tree, confident that I had got into position without betraying my approach.

Time passed …. Birds sang beautiful threats to each other … The diesel engines of trains throbbed to a climax then faded into the distance … Light faded …. An aeroplane droned overhead towards Manchester airport …. No sign of badgers.

Perhaps Grandad has been trying to watch them from upwind during the past week, or perhaps a dog explored the wood earlier and investigated the sett thoroughly. It’s just possible that the family has been disturbed and moved house to another sett in their territory in a wood just two fields away, but I doubt it, because the cubs would be very young to move.

Anyway, I’m giving up on this sett for a while, and next weekend I’ll visit the badgers in Double Wood. This is further away from the village, and it takes quite a long walk across fields to get to it, but at least it is more remote and that family of badgers are likely to be more relaxed.