Wildlife spotting

[Attila]

Every night before I go to bed, I like to lean out of the bedroom window to look at the Party Palace down below (and to watch the stars shining over the darkened roofs of the houses opposite; Mars is really bright just now in the midnight sky to the east).

Somes I look down and see the hedgehogs bumbling about; one night recently I got to watch one of the foxes creep into the garden and chow down.

Last night when I looked out, I saw that the hedgehogs had tipped the fox bowl on its side and were enjoying the landslide of kibble. I went out to scoop up the spill and right it. When I opened the back door, there was a super tubby hedgehog eating on the spilled kibble and in no particular hurry to run away from me. I took a careful step towards him, quietly saying, 'Right, big boy, off you go, come on now.' He waddled off with loud CHUFF CHUFF CHUFF noises of indignation. When I knelt down to clean up the spill, he and his buddy both came back to the party palace to eat out of the hedgehog bowl, about 30cm away from me, seriously not arsed that I was that close to them.

We have many photos of hedgehogs, various neighbourhood cats, and several different foxes all noshing at the Party Palace together, so I guess they just figured I was a bear or something.

[Buelligan]

Ah, that's lovely Attila, thank you for sharing it so clearly. 

[BlodwynPig]

A cat has started to eat the hedgehog food and the hedgehog is more scarce now. Bastard cat.

[Buelligan]

Put out more food dear Pig, more food.  The cat is fed, the hedgehog is fed, the Pig is satisfied.

[holyzombiejesus]

I saw my first ever woodpecker in our garden this morning.

[Buelligan]

What was it doing, looking for ants in the lawn, perhaps?  Which one was it?

[holyzombiejesus]

It was a female greater spotted. Flitting between the pollarded birches that adjoin our neighbour's house.

[Attila]

A cat has started to eat the hedgehog food and the hedgehog is more scarce now. Bastard cat.

We get loads of neighbourhood cats stopping by -- the hedgehogs don't seem bothered by them...your lot may get used to them.

About to go have my nightly peer down out the window -- sometimes I get hedgehogs and foxes, sometimes I come face to face with Mr Gus, who likes to sit right at the peak of the garage roof just off to one side and below the bedroom window. It's a good vantage point for him to survey the street.

[Attila]

Ah, that's lovely Attila, thank you for sharing it so clearly.

Ah -- I meant to say, I've still had no luck sourcing up spindleberry twigs. I wrote to the folks at the gardens you suggested, but have had no reply. To be fair, it probably came across as a bit mental ('Some rando is asking me to pop a few twigs into the post for her') although I explained why.

[Buelligan]

When I get some time off, I'll go up the mountain and see if I can find you some.  Making no promises at this point, we had a terrible fire which burnt all the trees (virtually all the trees) in the whole valley last year.  But I will have a look and let you know.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

Small tortoiseshell butterfly flew into the house this afternoon. I managed to shoo her back out.

[Attila]

When I get some time off, I'll go up the mountain and see if I can find you some.  Making no promises at this point, we had a terrible fire which burnt all the trees (virtually all the trees) in the whole valley last year.  But I will have a look and let you know.

That's kind of you <3 -- no worries, though, especially the hassle of putting sticks in the post! Even if I have to wait til next year to get them sorted (as it's turning a bit cooler here now), I may end up buying one or two for the allotment. (It's also likely there are ones around here, but having not looked for them when everything was in bloom, I don't recognise them).

[Buelligan]

Autumn is the perfect time to look for them.  They'll be signalling their presence with, by far, their most recognisable and easily-spotted signal, their wonderful beautiful seed pods.

[Attila]

Autumn is the perfect time to look for them.  They'll be signalling their presence with, by far, their most recognisable and easily-spotted signal, their wonderful beautiful seed pods.

Oooh -- handy! Mr Attila hits up more pathways that I do, since he's out on his bike every weekend -- I'll put him to the task.

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

All the kibble was gone from the dish this morning so I was excited to check the camera to see who had paid us a visit in the wee hours. Would it be hedgehogs, foxes or even a badger? Or would the food remain untouched all night only to be scoffed by magpies as soon as it got light? The latter obviously.

[BlodwynPig]

All the kibble was gone from the dish this morning so I was excited to check the camera to see who had paid us a visit in the wee hours. Would it be hedgehogs, foxes or even a badger? Or would the food remain untouched all night only to be scoffed by magpies as soon as it got light? The latter obviously.

My deepest condolences.

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

Thanks. Given time I'll be able to put this behind me and move on with my life.

[Attila]

All the kibble was gone from the dish this morning so I was excited to check the camera to see who had paid us a visit in the wee hours. Would it be hedgehogs, foxes or even a badger? Or would the food remain untouched all night only to be scoffed by magpies as soon as it got light? The latter obviously.

The food bowls here are usually empty by about 4am -- there are a couple of magpies who come by regularly around dawn to grab any errant kibbles left on the ground or bowls.

Some of the magpie photos have been really good -- depending on the angle and the light, their feathers glow with rich blue and bright green colours. We caught a photo of one just as he was taking off in fllght, and it's a wonderful blur of energy and colour.

[Menu]

The food bowls here are usually empty by about 4am -- there are a couple of magpies who come by regularly around dawn to grab any errant kibbles left on the ground or bowls.

Some of the magpie photos have been really good -- depending on the angle and the light, their feathers glow with rich blue and bright green colours. We caught a photo of one just as he was taking off in fllght, and it's a wonderful blur of energy and colour.

Would love to see these if you have the time.

[Menu]

All the kibble was gone from the dish this morning so I was excited to check the camera to see who had paid us a visit in the wee hours. Would it be hedgehogs, foxes or even a badger? Or would the food remain untouched all night only to be scoffed by magpies as soon as it got light? The latter obviously.

Same here. Although the pigeons sometimes get in on the action too which can lead to WWF-style encounters with the cats.

[Buelligan]

Two quite large pink praying mantis at work tonight.  Lovely.

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

I'm happy for any creature to help itself to the food I put out (rats included - so long as they keep out of my house and don't run up my trouser leg) but it would have been nice to see something more fluffy. I live in an urban environment but we've had badgers in our garden before, which was great. I'm putting more food out tonight so we'll see what happens*. 

*Pangolin or mandrill please.

[bgmnts]

Two quite large pink praying mantis at work tonight.  Lovely.

Hiring practices in France are odd.

[Twonty Gostelow]

Two quite large pink praying mantis at work tonight.  Lovely.

Hiring practices in France are odd.

they disappear to their own special room four times a day while the rest of us have to carry on working i'm not racist but it's disgusting

[BlodwynPig]

Attila, have you seen the Apeman has an option for annotations to the photos. I just noticed a close up of a hedgehog had the note "Rodent looking at the camera in the gloom"

[Attila]

Attila, have you seen the Apeman has an option for annotations to the photos. I just noticed a close up of a hedgehog had the note "Rodent looking at the camera in the gloom"

I've not played with all the settings, admittedly! Right now the date/time settings are totally wrong because I accidently opened the battery case the other day, and on replacing them, the date/time defaulted back to the original setting. So now it appears as if it's the middle of the night at 9am.

I'll have a search for the magpie photos! (the camera takes about 100+ a night depending on the activity, but fortunately, being morning visitors, the magpie photos are in colour and not infrared which will make them easier to find).

[BlodwynPig]

any idea why my camera now only takes 1 or 2 photos a night despite obvious activity all night (i.e. bowl emptied). I only seem to get the first couple of shots of the hedgehog appearing and that's it. Maybe put in some new batteries.

[Attila]

any idea why my camera now only takes 1 or 2 photos a night despite obvious activity all night (i.e. bowl emptied). I only seem to get the first couple of shots of the hedgehog appearing and that's it. Maybe put in some new batteries.

Dunno what's going on there, Mr Pig. Mine usually takes a boatload of shots of nothing because the hedgehogs have triggered it, and are out of lens range. I've also been outside while the camera is on, and walked past it/refilled bowls/played with Mr Gus, and the camera doesn't get many if any shots of it.

Here are some rando shots from last night (ignore weird time stamps for the most recent ones), some early morning foxes, and a boatload of magpie photos that show their colours.

Last night (foxy & two hedgehogs)





Magpie on takeoff


Gaining altitude -- all you see is the tail feathers



Magpie colours













Morning fox



The other night, when the hedgehogs knocked down the foxes' kibble

[bgmnts]

That second photo caught me off guard and I chuckled.

[Attila]

That second photo caught me off guard and I chuckled.

We get a handful of those goofy faces several times a week -- s/he's looking up at the bedroom window. I'm convinced it's because they hear Mr Attila snoring.