Who Dug That Hole!

Living in rural Brittany you get used to observing the various tracks and creative damage inflicted by various animals in and around you property. Badgers gathering at night on the lawns, moles perforating the beautifully landscaped garden and wild boar digging for roots are wildlife activities you learn to live with.

I have to take the view that they were probably here first and will be still here long after we have gone so its best to just sigh and try and repair the damage, which is usually of a minor nature. Last night however we must have had a visit from something a little larger than normal resulting in a large hole in the 'talus' (Large earth bank surrounding French rural properties). Initially it looked like something a badger would dig, but they would normally only dig a sett in a safe and secluded area and certainly well away from human activity.

Upon closer examination it looks as though the excavator was following a much smaller animal into the hole as the interior had two smaller holes going off in different directions. In the loose soil leading up to the hole entrance were two cloven foot prints which deepened the mystery. We do get Sanglier (wild boar) around the garden from time to time, but we have never seen them dig a hole, only scratch small trenches in their search for roots.

These earth banks which I understand date back hundreds of years were originally designed to stop soil erosion and are usually constructed of stone covered with soil and turf. In this instance the animal had a lucky escape as another few inches of soil removal and they would have had an enormous lump of granite resting on them.

We don,t have many stray dogs in our area, but it is a possibility and perhaps a Sanglier just happened to come pass after the hole had been dug and thought he would inspect the quality of the workmanship!

One thing is for certain living in rural Brittany you cannot help but come face to face with wildlife on a regular basis, whether its wild deer or just the daily glimpse of foxes you become used to their presence and they to yours. I saw my first red squirrel the other day and instead of it darting away it sat in the small tree close to where I was working looking for all the world like he was supervising me.

I think it would be worthwhile investing in a pair of night vision binoculars so that while my wife is busy looking at the stars I could be scanning the garden for excavators!

Comments

[pip]

I'd love a pair of night vision binoculars ... the only time I get to see the nightlife is when driving or shining a torch and it would be nice not to intrude