Records of badgers (Meles meles) in the Comeragh Mountains, Co. Waterford

On 9 October 2011 and again on 3 January 2013, badgers' tracks were recorded at an altitude of C.650 m in the Comeragh Mountains, near Mahon Falls, Co. Waterford (S 307 086). Two sets of tracks (100 m apart) were also recorded on 8 October 2013 at c.710 m on a ridge south of Knockanaffrin (S 28...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Irish naturalists' journal 2014-06, Vol.33 (2), p.141-141
Main Authors: O'Meara, Denise B., Turner, Peter D., Harrington, Andrew, Williamson, Kate, McGuirk, Jason, Sleeman, D. Paddy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altitude
Badgers
Diet
Ecological sustainability
Environmental conservation
Highlands
Mammals
Meles meles
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable technology
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Summary:On 9 October 2011 and again on 3 January 2013, badgers' tracks were recorded at an altitude of C.650 m in the Comeragh Mountains, near Mahon Falls, Co. Waterford (S 307 086). Two sets of tracks (100 m apart) were also recorded on 8 October 2013 at c.710 m on a ridge south of Knockanaffrin (S 286 149). Also, on 24 March 2012, a badger sett and latrine were recorded near the upland loughs in Coumfea in the Nire valley at an altitude of c.530 m (S 290 097). It was thought that badgers were scarce or absent above 500 m due to a lack of earthworms (Neal and Cheeseman 1996). However, Irish badgers have been previously recorded at 795 m in the Mweelrea Mountains, Co. Mayo (Gaffney and Sleeman 2007). In central Europe, badgers have been previously reported at high altitudes.
ISSN:0021-1311