Hope Visits and a Different Magpie

When I let Bobby out about nine last night he straight away sussed out where Hope, the young Hedgehog, was. There peeping round a planter was a shiny pointed nose.



I hurriedly nipped in and brought out a handful of dried mealworms which I scattered around the area. I think Hope is getting used to this as she didn't run away this time and was soon tucking in.

When Bobby first went over to Hope he disturbed a moth. It was such a brilliant white with black dots and bits of orange that I went and fetched the camera even though it was raining lightly. After much Googling round the net I found out that what I had seen was The Magpie Moth Abraxas grossulariata.



Fortunately with a 200mm lens I didn't have to get too close while it obligingly rested on some dead leaves. I read that it is very common though I don't remember seeing one before now. In spite of my aversion to moths I must admit I admired its beautiful markings.

At ten thirty Bobby went out in the front garden for his last look round of the day. When he reached the drive gates he stopped, had a good sniff and gave one loud bark. I went over to see what the fuss was about and there, just outside the gates, was an adult Hedgehog. I have seen their droppings on the paths between the front and back gardens so I knew they hunted in both but this was the first time we had seen one in that area.

Red and Black with a bit of White

Not a lot going on here at the moment. The weather is so variable. Most mornings start off sunny but it doesn't last. The cloud cover builds and by early afternoon it always seems to be raining, sometimes just drizzle but other times we get a tropical downpour with thunder storms thrown in.

There seem to be a lot of red flowers around my garden at the moment. Here are three of the pond lilies and the flower head of a succulent in my 'rockery'.



Occasionally when the cloud cover clears a little near sunset the sky turns shades of red or orange and one evening it gave some quite unusual tints.



During one sunny spell there were numerous male blackbirds trying to feed from the ground feeder. This is always an occasion for some action as they take it in turns trying to monopolise the food. I have tried, and failed, to capture the moment I really want to record. When male Blackbirds argue they always fly up close together facing each other in an aggressive stance. They rarely come to blows but just try to face off the opposition.







Even when they already have a beak full of food they continue to argue. Writing of full beaks - Compo the scruffy looking Blackbird has a nice juicy worm but still insists on collecting more food. As soon as he leaves a juvenile Jackdaw takes his place at the ground feeder. (no sound)



The two juvenile Magpies have been daily visitors ever since the parents first brought them several weeks ago. Interesting the way they open their beaks after they have reached down to the ground as can be seen in the second section of the video. (no sound)



Looks as though it may be a better day today. Nice bright sunshine at the moment anyway.

Greenfinches and a Sparrow Loses a Seed

Here an adult Greenfinch is sat on the cables to my shed making sure the coast is clear before nipping down to the feeders. The second part of the video shows a juvenile Greenfinch tucking in. It is interesting to note the difference in colour as the juvenile's colouring is much more muted with just a hint of green which is far more suitable for camouflage.



Unusually this House Sparrow preferred to collect one seed at a time and take it away while it rolls it round in its beak trying to crack the outer covering. I think it has a round millet seed which was hard work. In the end the seed shot out of the bird's beak. In the slowed down last part of the video you can see the seed fly across the screen.



Hedgehog Update:

Last night I only saw one adult but the night before all three were seen. Hope, the juvenile, arrived first, had a drink followed by a good fifteen minutes of dried mealworm munching. After another drink of water she trundled on her way. About half an hour later Henry and Honey arrived. Henry grabbing food as fast as he could and Honey spending much time walking backwards to keep out of his way.

Film Friday

Catching up on a few videos.

Yesterday I spotted a Song Thrush with a snail in its beak hopping across the lawn. It was heading for some stepping stones so it could use one as its anvil to crack open the shell.



A few days ago I heard an unknown, to me, songbird close by. Right near the top of a dead tree next door was a Goldfinch singing its little heart out. This is the first time I have seen one singing so that is another bird song I have learned. The contrast is poor as the light was on the wrong side. It was very breezy so the top of the tree was waving about in the gusts of wind. You can also hear the constant chirping of the House Sparrows which were a lot closer.



From six months ago when I was bemoaning the fact that Goldfinches never visited my garden they are now regular visitors. I only ever get two adults at a time but as there are a couple on and off all day there may be more than one pair. A couple of days ago there was a baby but it didn't stay long enough to be photographed.

This is the same Goldfinch I filmed singing. As soon as it had stopped it came down to recharge its batteries.



The Goldfinches are endearing birds. Often when two are feeding one finishes before the other and waits on the cables above the feeders. The second one eventually joins the first and then they fly off together. They never bother other birds and always seem very laid back. When Bobby goes out the back door most of the feeding birds scatter but the Goldfinches just ignore him and carry on feeding.

A Dragon Comes to Lunch

Yesterday was really windy in the morning with gusts which must have been reaching near gale force at times and much of it blowing in the back door. To help keep most of the winged wild life out I have a sliding mesh door so I can leave the back door open. There is a hole in the bottom of the mesh so Bobby can come and go as he pleases. There used to be a dog flap for previous dogs but Bobby is a little on the tall size and hated it.



Occasionally low flying insects manage to get in and that is what must have happened to this Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly I heard flapping around the conservatory.



Against my better judgement I opened both the double doors to the conservatory in the hope it would find its way out but the stubborn insect just settled on the roof beam. I keep a large clean empty coffee jar for such occasions so I can catch them safely and put them back outside. As I walked through to the kitchen I was greeted by a furious fluttering of something a bit larger crashing against the window. Now as some of you will know the reason I keep flying beasties outside is I get an instant panic reaction when they are in the same room as me. I instantly went cold all over - a reaction which seems to date back about sixty years.

What was it trying to drill a hole through the double glazing?

A Southern Hawker Dragonfly which must have been blown through the open doors and flown past me in to the kitchen.



I watched from a distance while I tried to work out how to get the thing out. I know I had been moaning about the lack of Dragonflies here but this was ridiculous. Eventually I plucked up courage to open a window near it but would it fly past the vertical bar separating the fixed window from the open one? Nope! Anyway the wind was blowing in that window.

While I pondered the situation I took a few photos. Looking at the barbs on its legs I can see how they manage to cling on to nearly anything.



Eventually it settled as far away from the open window as it could get.



How to move it safely? The coffee jar was too small. Looking round I spied a large polythene tub I keep my clothes pegs in, emptied it and gently placed it over the dragon. Then I slid it slowly sideways and past the upright. When we reached the open window I tipped it out and off it flew. Phew! Mission accomplished. Next the coffee jar and the butterfly - did that, closed the double doors and gave a sigh of relief. A cup of coffee next and a cheese scone as it was lunch time.


On the Hedgehog front I only saw Honey yesterday. She arrived just after 10 and was still about when I went to bed. That is not to say there were no others around, I just didn't see any at the times I checked the monitor.

Hope by Daylight

I was a bit concerned yesterday when Hope, the young Hedgehog, appeared at 4.30 in the afternoon. Hedgehogs should not be around in daylight. She (or he) was looking round the area under the bird feeders so I put out some dried mealworms. The little one was soon tucking in and kept eating even as I set up the camcorder to do a bit of filming. The first part was filmed from the back door and Hope is partly obscured by the self sown plants. Later I moved the tripod outdoors where I could get a clear view.

Bobby was fascinated and after being told off for barking at Hope sat and watched from a distance all the time she was there.



After eating her fill she trundled off back under the fence to next door's garden. Hope looks healthy enough to me, bright eyes, coat in good condition, walking normally. I think she has been turned out of the home nest and, like all young creatures needs small amounts of food more often than the adults.

The only concern I had was that I had never seen the youngster drink but was relieved when she appeared again about 8 p.m. and had a drink from one side of the bowl of water, walked through it and trundled on her way. She came again later for more food. Both adults appeared after 10 o'clock and all had moved on by 11 when Bobby went out for his last look round his 'estate'.

If the youngster keeps appearing during the daylight hours I will have a word with the local Hedgehog Hospital and take their advice.

Baby Hedgehog Again

I was going to give the subject of Hedgehogs a miss today but ......

Last night I had prepared the Hedgehogs' food about 8.30 p.m. not expecting to put it out for another hour. Much to my surprise when I glanced at the video camera monitor I spotted a baby hog near the paved area. That was just after 9 p.m.. I took the dish of food out to scatter and fully expected the youngster to run off but no, it stayed put, even when some of the food (sunflower kernels, crushed unsalted peanuts and dried mealworms) bounced off its back.

Slowly it began to investigate and gradually tucked in to its supper. It had the area to itself so was able to eat in peace without being pushed around by any adults.

To me it seems a little larger than the baby I saw last night. As the hogs normally have 3 to 4 in a litter this may well be a brother or sister.

As it was fairly light in spite of the dark clouds and rain I set up the camcorder and took about 10 minutes of video. The colours are a bit peculiar in places as the camera tried to cope with the low light levels. To give an idea of the size of the baby - near the beginning of the video it climbs over the wooden surround to the paving slabs. That is made of 3x3 inch timber. The video is made up of three sections from the video I took.



I also managed to use autofocus and flash with the DSLR and here is one photo of young Hope (named suggested by Glo of Porcelain Rose) just approaching a nice clump of dried mealworms.



Later on, soon after 10 p.m., there were two adult Hedgehogs gathering up the food missed by the youngster who had left by that time and by bedtime they had all moved on to pastures new.