Hi Annie
My borders are buzzing with insects too. It’s lovely at this time of year, when everything still, just about, looks quite fresh and still more yet to come into flower.
Sorry to hear about the sadness about the camera. Our little furry friends do leave such a big gap in our lives when they go. I hope you will eventually feel able to set it up again.
The interesting thing, here, is that now there are fewer hogs visiting, I very seldom get hog poos on the patio – where they feed. I always did think it was sometimes a feeling a bit insecure thing, with lots of other hogs around. I seldom even see them elsewhere in the garden and there are definitely hogs around. So absence of hog poo, doesn’t necessarily mean absence of hogs.
Well done re. The developers. Sounds promising, but like you say, not always easy to be sure what they mean.
Digger is still visiting, so unless they are really nearby, no hoglets yet. I don’t see Horace every night, but I think he sometimes comes a bit late. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure he is the same one as Hoglet, but he looks pretty much like him. I don’t normally name them until they are adults because their markings do seem to develop a bit as they mature. He is very timid and creeps in to the food. Last night Digger was there when he arrived and she immediately left and so he did too – in the opposite direction. In the space of about 10 minutes he had made 5 visits! Digger did come back and they were both there eating out of different bowls at one point.
There is another young chap who visits occasionally and the big male is often seen late at night on the cam. As well as, sometimes, a poor unfortunate male hog who has been, shamefully, covered in something, as if someone is trying to make him look like a tabby cat. If that was a domestic pet everyone would be up in arms. I don’t know why people can’t just love them for what they are. Even poor Horace is a bit of a mess (which may be why he is so timid) but not as bad as this chap.
Still no other females, unless they are one of the very late visitors. I was hoping one of the other youngsters might be, but he conveniently scratched in front of the camera! I am hoping that the males not being much interested in Digger now might mean she is pregnant. Fingers crossed for some hoglets especially females ones!
I’m not sure, yet, if the house martins are using all the nests. I usually have to sit out there for a while and watch, but there has been building work over the road recently so not very tranquil! (thank goodness for the back garden). They are definitely in the 2 favourite ones and it’s lovely to see them, through the window, swooping up to their nests. They were saying in Springwatch how the martins, swallows and swifts have been late back this year, but I am hoping these have got young ones already. They certainly seem to be making quite frequent visits to the nests.
