Table of Contents 1.

If you go down to the woods today you could be in for a surprise. With a few more days of warm weather, an explosion of colour will soon be appearing. Here in Devon by late March, patches of bright yellow primroses and a liberal sprinkling of celandines can already be seen. Brightening our woodland edges and the bases of hedgerows. But it will not be long before the first nodding white heads of wild garlic start to appear beneath the bare branches arching overhead. A herald for the main act to follow – bluebells. Spring arrives early here in the lowlands away from the high tops of Dartmoor. Across the British Isles this welcome season is not so much racing but gently strolling north across the land.

A chorus of woodland birds now announces the breaking day. While deep underground, new life is stirring. Badgers have given birth. In 2008, I produced a BBC documentary on the hidden lives of these secretive creatures. Sir David Attenborough was keen to be involved and agreed to voice the narration. Meanwhile, our biggest challenge was discovering what really goes on below ground. Until then, even the top wildlife experts could only guess. We eventually installed miniature infrared cameras into the badger’s home. Several experts with government licenses and ground breaking technology followed. Only then did we begin to see life underground. But at first not a lot. By day badgers sleep soundly, with the occasional snoring, grumbling and scratching. Only as evening falls do they become more active. Especially after the cubs are born. Television monitors linked to recorders were installed in our breakfast room, monitoring 24 hour a day. At first, we could hear the excited high pitched whickering calls from young badgers, but not actually see them. Their mother had filled her birthing chamber with vegetation, mainly grass and fallen leaves. Only occasionally did we catch a glimpse of the new arrivals. But as the days and weeks went by, the cubs became more adventurous.

When the programme was finally transmitted, an audience of several million tuned in. No doubt helped by national newspapers heralding the secretive, often bawdy life of a clan of wild Devon badgers. One daily headline was especially memorable, announcing the programme as ‘Badgers Behaving Badly’. What viewers saw was a revelation. Apart from the occasional squabbling and hours of mutual grooming or sleeping, best of all was when one young badger arrived back in the chamber carrying a large apple, then lying on its back, juggling with its paws and eating its prize in bed! Such behaviour was a revelation for the experts who had told us badgers never bring food underground.

Several months later the technical circus that was the ‘Springwatch’ crew, arrived at our farm. Complete with cameras and multiple rigs of infrared lighting. Along with two large vans equipped with folding satellite dishes and countless miniature microphones to be hidden everywhere. Today all is quiet again and several generations of badgers later, our wild visitors still arrive noisily outside our lounge window, eagerly scoffing their evening starter of peanuts. An easy and nutritious snack provided of course by Vine House Farm.

Andrew Cooper