2024 February – our spiky visitors have returned
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Hi all…
I’ve seen a particular hedgehog in my garden for the past 2/3 years, it lives in the bamboo thicket in the back garden, I often hear it shuffling about in the night. Today around 8pm, still Quite light it was walking about the lawn looking for slugs maybe?
Should I leave it out some food?
I don’t want to attract rats tho.Hi Nic
To my horror there was a rat out the garden a couple of weeks ago one afternoon racing into the border then back into the corner of the garden by the shed. It was where I’d put food in the border for the daytime hog but I’ve not seen rats eating kitten biscuits before so hopefully after something else which has now gone. Haven’t seen it since happily, I emptied the shed to make sure it wasn’t nesting in there & checked the small gap underneath & no sign at all.
The hog activity is busy in the feeder each night & looks as if there must be fistycuffs regularly by the mess they leave behind, just as well there’s an entrance tunnel each end of the feeder for escape purposes! Water & food dishes all over the place, poo everywhere & pee sometimes too. Just crumbs left in the food dish so someone is happy.
I often see one very early evening in the feeder long before darkness falls, we’ve met a few times when I haven’t topped up the food in time of an evening & it’s already in there. Doesn’t bat an eyelid just a glance up at me than carries on eating.
I’m glad you have bats, I’ve started leaving the curtains & window open in the evening as darkness arrives with a small light on in the room to attract insects outside & get a very good display of bat flying against the sky before the light goes completely. There’s honeysuckle in the garden which attracts night flying moths etc & a lot of trees around which also helps with insects flying, plus I’ve noticed a general increase in insects in the air so plenty of food available for our batty friends on warm evenings on the rare occasion we get them.
Hi Annie
Probably shouldn’t say this, but no rat around for a while. Although no doubt one will be back some time or another!
There is definitely at least one female hog around. One night a male was trying to mount a female and a second male came and biffed him off! He was ‘not amused’ and promptly turned round and biffed the second one back. Needless to say the female quickly made her escape and left the boisterous boys to their squabbles! Just hope some hoglets eventually turn up – although not from that encounter, I think.
Sounds a lovely way to watch the bats. It’s lovely to see them.
Hi Nic, the long mouldy summer is over but you’d hardly notice as the weather isn’t too different.
I hope you had a good hoggy summer & your biffing hogs managed to make some babies between them. Our garden was pretty regularly visited by someone spiky then last week I opened the feeder to find a large number of rat droppings in it so it’s been left empty every since. I’ll resume hog feeding in a few weeks in the hope Ratty & co disappear from the scene meantime.
Bats must have been struggling with the rain, hopefully they found enough food to survive the wet weather somehow. Apparently it greatly affected birds like ospreys as when the weather isn’t warm insects don’t gather as much if at all over water for fish to swim up to catch so they stayed too deep for fish eating birds to get regular supplies to feed their offspring.
Hope you have some hogs still entertaining you.
Hi Annie
I agree, the ‘Summer’ weather didn’t do a lot of our wildlife any favours! Poor old bats, etc.
Oh no! Sorry to hear about your Ratty there! So annoying.
Here I’ve had a susrprisingly good hoggy year. One night there were even 5 adults here at once and it’s a long while since that’s happened! Most often only 1 or 2 at a time, though. But the best thing was at least one female. Sadly no hoglets seen yet, but I suspect all the rowdy boys might put them off. I’m still hopeful. Maybe once the boys have hibernated.
Hope the hogs have still been visiting there, despite Ratty.
Hi Nic
Well hooray for that, finally you’ve had the hogs you deserve after all the spiky visitors you used to have & fed for so long.
Last week on Thursday I saw a hedgehog in the garden during the day but she was out of sight by the time I got outside then Friday at 15.30 in full sunshine she was coming up the path again & being pestered by a pair of magpies. She sheltered in the feeding station this time so I was able to pick her up & put her in a rescue box. Wales hedgehog helpline came up trumps after I rang round every hedgehog rescue I could find, we took her to a carer about 9 miles away & it turns out she’s a dehydrated female about 300g. She’s going to stay there about 6-7 weeks until she’s better & doubled in weight then come back here. I’ve been clearing leaves from the parking area near here for people to compost & am bringing lots home to pile up in the garden for anyone who wants them to use for their winter home so hopefully she’ll be able to hunker down for the season.
A success story for a change.
Hi Annie
Well done for getting help for the little hedgehog. Fingers crossed all goes well and she returns soon fit and well ready to hibernate.
Good idea re. the leaves. I seem to have quite a lot here if any hogs are interested. I really ought to rake them into the borders, but it’s always seems to be soggy out there these days! Some sunny days forecast next week, so just hope they’re right!
Hi Nic
Had some feedback on our little hog today & she’s putting on weight which is great. This afternoon I rescued another one, a little boy this time but his future is not so rosy as he’s very underweight & not in such good nick as the girl was. I was very lucky to find help for him as the last few days have seen an explosion of young hogs out in the day, probably due to the awful weather, & everyone’s being inundated with rescue requests. Paws crossed for him, he’s in safe hands & will have received the start of the hydration he’s desperate for tonight.
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