just noticed this in my garden, has appeared in the last day or so. The ground is very rooty from fir trees, and also quite stony so i dont think it could be a rabbit.

Any ideas? Have i got a grumpy badger making a nest?

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Not seeing any picture….

So with that important peice of information missing, I’m guessing ‘Bear’.

it’s definately a troll… steer well clear

Does the hole look like this?

Oh dear.

It’s either a rat or a hobbit, so chin up.
Seriously, it looks like a rat.
Sorrry.

If you live near a river- it could be an Otter. Get the shotgun ready 😉

You should poke your head in the hole…. have a look

Bear or Rat.

Psammead, you lucky devil, remember to only use the wishes for good…

Honey Badger. Obviously.

Ewok is my Guess 😀

A bilby?

Something to give scale would help. Without scale, doesn;t look big enough for a badger sett, they tend to be a lot wider (12″ or so) than high (6-8 inches)

rat

You’d probably see more burrows if it were a badger sett so I’d say it was a rat as well. If you want to do the Springwatch sort of thing you could wait until dusk and be certain.

OMG http://www.howtoidentifyanimalholes.co.uk

Is there hair, scat, or tracks to be seen?

no hairs or droppings at the moment, about 15cm diameter. Theres some scratch marks on the rocks inside it. Its not that deep at the moment, maybe 40-50cm, so it might be work in progress, or it gave up as the ground is rocky. It seems to have moved some 7-10 cm stones out when its been digging, so wondered if it would be bigger than a rat.

Its on the edge of some woods, and by right on the edge of a couple of small (15-20m diameter) natural ponds. Hardly any houses nearby so no real household waste / bin bags to raid, and its about 25-30m from our house.

Sounds ratty to me

will keep an eye on it then and might get some rat traps / poison

It’s a skunk. Run away.