by Annette J Beveridge
Badgers are iconic creatures and easily recognisable with their characteristic black and white striped faces. Nocturnal, they emerge from the sett at dusk so are not easy to see and this makes any sighting a precious one. They are widespread throughout Europe and in Britain, more commonly so in the south and west of England. Their natural habitat is deciduous woodland and farmland, but they can even be found around coastal cliffs.