April – Wildlife around Bishop’s Waltham

Posted on 21st April 2020 by Richard

Lockdown kicks in – the wildlife love it

Less traffic and less pollution seems to be bringing much benefit to humans and wildlife alike, but of course, we’d rather not be in the middle of a pandemic.
In some ways I guess it’s easier for us senior citizens, we don’t need to worry about losing our jobs or not getting our full income like many who’ve been furloughed.

I’m walking on average about 25k a week and getting much solace through scenery and just listening to the birdsong everyday.

Hedgehogs under the bird feeders

Two Hedgehogs have appeared in the Garden, so hopefully both will survive and presuming they’re male and female will produce some young ones.
There’s no mistaking the noise when they arrive, loud grunts and the scraping of any leaves on the ground !

Mistle Thrush – Red Damsel Fly – Orange Tip Butterfly

Butterflies are starting to appear again with the usual Orange Tips and Brimstones. I’ve also seen a few Speckled Woods and Peacocks.
Around the Garden here, some Starlings are busy looking after their eggs in the guttering above my Flat, right racket !

Grass Snake

Bee Fly

Life plods on and it’s not easy for many but it is very nice to see people walking in the countryside. I’ve spoken to quite a few and all say it’s so nice to have some time to explore their surrounding and quite keen to learn bird species and just watch what’s going on.

They say that from something bad, good will come. I haven’t a crystal ball to see where all this is going to end but it has been a wakening to what’s good outside our door and awareness of the need to preserve it.

Fox and Hedgehog both doing well

Posted on 13th April 2017 by Richard

Our Resident Fox

The Derelict Windmill beside my place is at present a Maternity Ward for some Fox Cubs.
As I think I’ve said before, due to a fight or the mating process, the Vixen is only using 3 legs. The affected leg doesn’t seem to have any wounds so I’d guess it’s a sprain or strain, doesn’t seem broken..
With this in mind and knowing she has young ones I’ve been feeding her up also leaving food which she can take back to the youngsters whom I believe to be about 5 / 6 weeks old now.

She’s a lucky lady; Cat Food Sachets and a daily Jam Sandwich.
This has to be set times though, as the Video shows, put the Sandwich out too soon and something else gets it !

The Hedgehog

He or she is now well over her hibernation, sleeping either in the Shed or the Hedgehog House I built. Certainly hibernated there through Winter.

Luckily there’s an old ‘cat hole’ in the side of the Shed and it’s quite happy going through it for food.
Saying that, I’ve had to devisee a way to stop the Fox to get in, which was doing so a couple of weeks back. There is now an entrance zig-zag to prevent this !

More welcome Visitors down the Lane

The Stream seems to have attracted a resident Moorhen, the ones who, like Pheasants, wait until the last second before you’re right next to it, then gives you a missed beat leaping up and flapping along the Stream for cover!

It was also nice to see the Green Woodpeckers back again. The Greater Spotteds visit daily, but the Greenies haven’t been around for quite while.

The sounds of the Lane are good, laughing Green Woodpeckers, the Chiffchaffs going at it all day, Blackbirds and Robins loud and clear and quiet tweets of the Goldcrests.

New Wildlife Visitors down the Lane

Posted on 29th March 2017 by Richard

The last few days of March brought about a few new visitors, some of which returning and one new addition, a Treecreeper.
Maybe it’s my failing eyesight, but in two years of taking wildlife photos, I hadn’t come accross any, then like a London Bus I’ve had two sightings in a Month !

Our resident Fox has Cubs ?

You may recall I mentioned a second Fox showed up some weeks ago. This morning when she turned up for some food I noticed the Teats being very pert and heavy.
Rather than coming up the drive, she has recently been arriving from behind the Barn, so I guess that’s where it’s all going on.
She still has a limp and if anything got slightly worse, but to try and do anything about it now would be wrong as it would obviously mean separating her from the young ones. Also, I’m not exactly sure where the Nest is, somewhere in the old Derelict Windmill and adjoining Barns.

Grey Wagtails

Every year they come down the Lane; for a few weeks in Spring and again in Autumn.
Never a day goes by where they’re not paddling in the stream or gathering nesting material from the tarmac surfaces around and about.

Hedgehog is back

I’d been searching around the garden for a number of days hoping I would see some droppings thus showing Hedgy was out of hibernation and ready for Spring and Summer.
I’m pretty sure he or she spent Winter in one of my purpose built houses, it seems I was right.

However, since waking I don’t see him go in the Shed where I feed him, but I do see him coming out. Looks like his Summer Home will be within easy reach of food !!
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Preparing for Summer Wildlife in the Garden

Posted on 23rd February 2017 by Richard

A gloomy, dull but dry day, just the job for warming myself up and going round the garden checking out and tidying things up for the wildlife in Spring and Summer.

The Pond

The pond is actually an old Aluminium Bath. I cleared out the weeds (making sure I wasn’t disturbing any hibernating Frogs) refilled and placed some rocks so they just poked above the water.
Not only will this encourage birds on to it more bt act as an escape should any Hedgehog decide to go for a swim.
This will be surrounded by Butterfly friendly flowers and the forever returning one day Lily’s.

I’ve surrounded the pond with fairly rotten branches from last year and the year befores lopping which appear to be homes for many overwintering bugs.

Birds, Bats and Frogs!

I’ve four Tit Boxes in total and one more suited for Robins.
The Bat Box has been up for two years now so I’m hoping human smell has gone and the wood has got to be a little more natural.
The Summertime Frog Shelter is just an old roof top tile placed next to the pond and with the cover there should supply a nice dampish cool atmosphere.

The House Sparrows last year nested in four areas of the house eaves, but some babies were taken by Jays, so I’ve put some chicken wire up in their favourite locations.

Hedgehog House – Rabbit Hole – Loppings for wildlife

Hedgehog House

I’m not touching this as I’m certain there’s a Hedgehog in there still sleeping, she or he were last November and last Autumn I noticed a track going inside which was duly overed over the next day.
Certainly not Rats as all seems undisturbed.

The Wood Stack

I’ve been putting all the larger branches I’ve cut down around and about in one big pile on the edge of the wasteland area at the back of the garden.
Last year never a dull moment watching Wrens and Dunnocks flying to and fro, it also attracted a rather nice walk way for a few Rabbits.
It’s strange that we’ve had Rabbits in the Garden for a few years, but they never seem to eat any of the Vegetables !

The old Lorry Tyre Cover, now Daphne’s Feeding Station !

Foxes

I’m still feeding ‘Daphne’ the Vixen. Last Autumn she sustained a rather nasty limp, which I believe was caused by a fight. Being too hard to catch, I decided to just make sure she was getting food and although a long while, she seems pretty back to normal.
By that I mean she sits and waits for her Tesco’s Cat Sachet late afternoon….every day!

The Bug House

Last Autumn it ws a joy to watch the Leafcutter bees flying their bits of leaf into the holes, turning round and pushing them in firmly, so I’m expecting new ones out and about again soon.
I’ve already seen a few Bumble and Honey Bees about, so this is encouraging.

It’s all going on, or about to down the Lane !
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Hedgehog fattening up on Cat Food – Video

Posted on 3rd June 2016 by Richard

A few weeks ago we had two Hedgehogs visiting us, one big one and one very big one.
As I’d found them mating not long before I presumed the larger one was pregnant and presume now she’s found somewhere to have her young.

The other one however, presumably the male is still visiting nightly, so last night I set up the Camcorder to find out whether or not they were both still coming and put enough Meat Cat Food out for two.

About 10pm I was sitting in my Shed / Office doing some web work and heard the clanking of the metal plate. I waited some 10 minutes for it to finish, then retrieved the SD Card.
It was just the one.

But !!!! How much can this one eat, I watched the full 8 or so minutes to see if another one appeared, but no, he just went for the whole lot in one hit !

It did make me giggle though in the way he just strolled round the corner of the other Shed, got straight at the bowl, ate non stop, then as fast as he came in, he went off again !
If you do watch the Video, it’s edited down to just over two minutes, make sure you have the sound on the licking, snorking and plate clanking noises are what makes it !!

What characters they are !!

See also 8 pages on Main Web Site Hedgehogs in the Garden

Wildlife Diary

Recording wild life through the year around Hampshire, Kent and elsewhere

Tag Archives: Hedgehog