What animal would do this?

[spandit]

Sorry, no pictures but hopefully I can describe clearly enough.

Beside my barn is a hardcore track. It's grassed over with a thin layer of soil and gravel (think it was laid over 30 years ago). Anyway, along about 20 yards of it something has dug numerous little pits in a fairly narrow strip, as if they were looking for grubs or roots. Suspect it might be a badger but could also be fox, squirrel or even a bird (crow)?

 

[Robson Valley]

I've watched the Ravens do that here, especially after a rain.
Pits maybe 1.5" across and 1" deep. Bugs and/or worms, I suppose.

 

[Mesquite]

I've noticed that whenever I've seen the sort of pits you describe that birds tend to dig fairly neat conical holes and animals tend to make larger holes (based on species size) which are more of a scraped out shape.

 

[Janne]

Blackbirds when they chase for worms.

 

[Drain Bamaged]

I get similar here, normally next to 'distinctive markers' and it is often Grey Squirrels burying stuff occasionally followed by Jays digging it back up again.

D.B.

 

[Jaeger]

Aye Up spandit,

You don't give any measurements for the pits but the nature of the track, it's proximity to the barn, the alignment of the holes - metal detector-ist?!

 

[spandit]

Aye Up spandit,

You don't give any measurements for the pits but the nature of the track, it's proximity to the barn, the alignment of the holes - metal detector-ist?!

I like your thinking but it's pretty visible from the house & the holes aren't deep. It's all rubble just under the soil and no attempt has been made to cover tracks. I'll set up a camera as I reckon it might be a wee squirrelly *******

 

[Drain Bamaged]

A couple of years ago, as the weather started to warm up all the tubs and baskets in my back garden (that is the garden proper which according to her indoors is supposed to look pretty and not the woods that are connected to it) started to sprout Oak Trees and what looked like Peas (Hundreds of Peas) .....after much head scratching I finally worked out that all the tubs had thoughtfully been planted with Acorns and Peanuts by a Squirrel the previous Autumn. I assume he'd been getting the Peanuts from someone's bird feeder.

D.B.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

I found out this year voles (field mice) dig channels on the surface of grass. Search "vole burrows garden" on Google and see if that matches. Sorry I couldn't find a link to share a picture.

 

[spandit]

Well, reckon I've found the culprit:

[video=youtube;2kwXm9Oiunk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kwXm9Oiunk[/video]

Other animals on the camera were:
dogs (mine)
cats (neighbours)
fox
squirrel
roe deer (pretty sure - very blurred picture, but I've seen them around before)
pheasant (he's called Randolph and has been here for years)
pigeon
blackbird
starling
various other birds (not my forté)

 

[Alexa222]

Hi, my guess is a badger or a weasel.

 

[spandit]

Hi, my guess is a badger or a weasel.

After I posted a video of a badger actually digging? Quite the detective. Strange first post but welcome nonetheless.