Introduction
Yes - we've been watching this family of badgers for ten years and we're still going strong. For the second year running badgers have had enough wet weather to keep the supply of worms coming so the threatened decline of recent years has been reversed and we can look forward optimistically to the next decade.

The Hide
The only major acquisition this year was the addition of a second large battery so we now have two independent solar systems, each with much greater capacity than previously. The result is available lighting power for longer periods of time, even during gloomy weather.

The Badgers
The badgers bred successfully again this year producing two good cubs, both of which appear to have survived into the autumn. They have grown so well that we can no longer distinguish them from adults - except when the exuberance of youth prompts them to have a frolic, just for the fun of it.

Goldeneye Ducks
We experimented with shiny poles for the goldeneye boxes this year to try and keep the pine martens out of the boxes. The ducks laid eggs in both boxes but did not bother to incubate them. It could be they were too close to the hide so we will site the poles elsewhere next year.

Users
As in previous years the Heatherlea Birdwatching Centre, Moray Firth Wildlife Centre, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and the RSPB all used the hide on a regular basis and we are grateful for their support. This year for the first time the Aviemore Walking Festival included us in their activities and such was the hide's popularity that they plan to do so again in 2006. On top of all this the general public made good use of the hide without our having to spend money on advertising because increasingly people are finding us on the internet and making contact by email.

The Statistics

It is heartening to see the average number of sightings begin to rise again, although this is to be expected following two successful breeding years.

In addition to badgers, at least 32 other species were seen from the hide. They included:

Assorted bats, black headed gull, brown hare, carrion crow, chaffinch, cuckoo, curlew, fox, frog, goldeneye, great tit, greylag geese, heron, hooded crow, lapwing, mallard, midges, otter, oystercatcher, rabbit, red deer, robin, roe deer, sand piper, snipe, song thrush, sparrowhawk, various spiders, tawny owl, woodcock, wood mouse, wood pidgeon.

Three surprising omissions from the list were osprey, barn owl and pine marten - all of which were seen from the hide more than once last year.

Money
Visitor numbers were down a little once again but because we spent so little money on the hide this year we shall still be able to make a decent contribution to Scottish Badgers and to the Boat of Garten Wildlife Group under whose umbrella the hide functions.

2006
There are no plans to make any changes for next year. We seem to be onto a formula that works for everybody and the badgers seem content to let us peep into their lives for an hour or two every few days so, as they say, if it aint broke don't fix it.

Thanks
Finally, my thanks go to all those who have contributed to the continued success of the hide. I am especially grateful to the Birkbeck family who own the land and the Cruickshank family who farm the fields, without whose indulgence we would not be able to offer such a wonderful wildlife experience to members of the public.

Allan Bantick
Honorary Manager, Strathspey Badger Hide November 2005