Feb 2022 – hedgehog(s) on camera every night at feeder again
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Hi Annie
I’m guessing that many pigeons can still get through a fair amount of food! Luckily I don’t usually get more than 2 or 3. I gave them strict instructions not to tell all their friends! But there are a fair few collared doves around and the usual sparrows and starlings. There was a sparrowhawk here the other day who had one of the poor sparrows, but he has to eat, too, and a handsome bird.
The starlings round here seem to be merging into larger flocks than previously, but not large enough to be considered to be a murmeration. Still quite impressive when they land on various aerials along the row of houses. My little robin friend is still around, now with a ‘proper’ red breast. Usually when I’m in the garden I hear some quiet robin song and there he/she will be nearby. Some blackbirds have appeared here again, too, although not sure if they are the same ones – not so friendly, anyway – they may be migrants.
The hogs have disappeared but there have been some rats around, which is annoying as I normally would have still been leaving food out for the hogs, in case. No nests in my boxes this autumn, but I suppose there is still time. When the hogs spend the day in the boxes, I sometimes have to lift them a little bit to fit the bowl in (they are normally rolled up, snoozing). One just ripples his prickles a bit, but another slightly more grumpy one gives a slight grunt or two. (Both boys). But I check and they don’t come straight out afterwards, so hopefully have a little chomp before venturing out for the night.
Well done with the lavender. If they like where they’re planted they can be quite amazing. Sometimes they get loads of butterflies around them, too – which can be quite impressive. How lovely watching the bats and sitting out with them. Sounds a lovely thing to do.
Hi Nic
This is odd as I’m sure I already answered your message above.Here goes again anyway. You & I are lucky to have so many birds visiting but we make them welcome providing food & a bird friendly garden, so few people do. I’ve been feeding chopped peanuts & sunflower seeds until this week, just peanuts now as the sunflowers seeds were being left on the ground to go rotten. The peanuts are very popular with everyone. Pigeons are still around though still smaller numbers thank goodness.
Lidl have some quite cheap bags of mixed nuts in shells so the squirrels are enjoying those & I’m enjoying the price.
Starling murmurations have been swooping here this week, stunning to see then they pour out of the sky into the trees, amazing sight. Not the gigntic gatherings I’ve seen on screen but seversl thousand birds nevertheless.
My hedgehog nestbox hasn’t attracted anybody this autumn/winter either, very disappointing as I’d scrubbed it out, filled with folded fresh newspaper in the base & hay & cut myself quite badly on branches repositioning it in a better place in the border with more shelter! Still plenty of takers in the feeders most nights, by the size of the poo it’s the little hogs coming. Haven’t put a camera out for some time, maybe I should. Just bought a 10kg bag of kitten biscuits which will last well into Spring I think & ensure nobody goes hungry this winter. There’s a water dish in one of the feeders which never freezes so always water for them whatever the weather, just about room in the other feeder so I may put water in there too if it gets really cold.
Hope you’re well & staying safe & warm.
Hi Annie
It’s good to hear from you. Maybe your original reply got chucked out by Captcha. Sometimes they are, not always for any obvious reason.
It sounds as if you have even more starlings around there than here, although the other day about 40 descended onto my garden, which was quite enough! They were attracted by a fat square, but of course couldn’t all fit around it. The ones that did were squabbling vociferously!
That’s nice you still have hogs visiting regularly. I have one which turns up very occasionally (not always the same one), usually foraging on the grass, but have had to stop leaving food out just in case a hog turns up, because of the rat (it would just be feeding the rat). Still one rat appearing on video most nights despite lack of food. But, if I see a hog I leave a bit of food scattered on the grass the next night, but those nights the rat is always there and the hogs usually not. The rat is usually there earlier, too. Very frustrating.
Luckly squirrels! Glad they are enjoying the nuts in shells. A good idea to get stocked up with kitten biscuits – hope they last!
Hi Nic, Happy New Year.
Shame about the rats, really frustrating. Haha, that’s a lot of starlings, they descend here in great numbers & spill the food from the feeders for the pigeons – yep, still have some of them but not the flock of 30 odd we had previously. Mrs Blackbird is back asking for food when she spots me.
I’ve continued to put a little food in both hog feeders as until the last few nights it was still being taken most nights though as no crumbs are left in the dish more recently I’m not sure it’s hedgehogs, mice probably. In the past it’s been hilarious watching a tiny mouse on camera racing away with his booty, must take a few mice to chomp their way through a kitten biscuit. During the extremely cold spell we had a few weeks back there were definitely hogs visiting as they left their calling card each night for me to clean up & I met a large one on his/her way to the feeder late one night. It was a challenge to keep water in the feeders from freezing & I put cat food from sachets out on those nights with the dry so they could have moisture from the food if the water froze.
One of the squirrels looks for me if their feeder is empty & races up to the house to take half a walnut from me on the fence! He’s terrified of anybody else so I’m not teaching him to lose his fear of humans. I wish grey squirrels weren’t being treated so shoddily by the UK govt & even the Wildlife Trusts of all people are now involved in the war on them. We should celebrate & protect all our wildlife as they’re disapppearing every day, picking & choosing which to keep of so few animals is disgusting. Personally I’d rather get rid of quite a few humans, naming no names.
After such a dry summer winter is more than making up for it!
In the next month or so I expect hog activity to begin again, as nobody took up the offer of accomodation in my clean hog house I’m hoping somebody will use it this Spring. I’ll start a new thread when that happens but stay here until then.
Hi Annie
Happy new year to you, too.
Yes, I have a Mrs. Blackbird asking for food again, too. Although not every day, as now I’m not regularly feeding the birds I’m not outside so much.
I haven’t seen any hogs for ages. I was seeing the occasional rat before so haven’t been putting food out – they would just eat it and there would be nothing left for the hogs anyway. It’s mostly mice now, on the cameras, or birds during the day. I have been leaving the camera on all day in case any hogs turn up.
Grey squirrels are a tricky one. I always think they are really cute – and amazing to see them on those squirrel tests to see how clever they are. But at the same time it would be nice to see red squirrels around, too. I have heard of ways of controlling the numbers of greys without actually killing them, though. It is a good example of the dangers of introducing foreign species on the pre-existing species. But once they are an established species here ….. ?
I agree re. all the wet weather. I imagine there will be a fair few poor hogs who got caught out by the floods. A bit unfortunate that the cameras don’t seem to work so well at this time of year. Fingers crossed for all the hogs.
Hi Nic
Have reduced bird feeding to just a small amount in the morning, sometimes a little mid day & stopped feeding the squirrels altogether because of cat predation. I’ll probably stick to this from now on as the two new cats on the block will be a real threat to baby squirrels & birds when they arrive. Also have managed to reduce the large visiting flock of pigeons to a handful with feeding gradually less over time, better for all birds concerned with avian flu still hanging over their heads not to have huge numbers feeding in the same area.
Yes, greys have been here many years, the talk of them being non native doesn’t wash after being established for so long. Also reds were relentlessly pursued at one time & killed in huge numbers & had a price on their own heads for what was seen as damage to trees so humans aren’t exactly blameless as far as the balance between the two goes. Time to let nature get on with it & stop wanting to control & kill anything not seen as ideal. There are a few people I’d get rid of that would benefit us much more than killing any of our British animals.
Also time to start a new thread when I can remember how to do it as my visitors have returned in the last few days. See you there!
HI Annie
I’ve had to drastically reduce bird food, too – would you believe the rats still visit from time to time. They seem to have radar about when some bird food has been out and seem to manage to find the inevitable ‘crumbs’.
Yes, humans have a lot to answer for in respect of almost every species I can think of – as well as their habitats.
I’ll continue on your new post.
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