Darn it - Just too Late Again

Honey, yes I am pretty sure it is Honey who is visiting each night, made a slightly later appearance than usual yesterday. She was still eating when Bobby went out for his last tour of the gardens. As always he made a beeline for the feeding area. Too late, Honey had made a dash for cover.



He had to make do with a quick sniff at the dish. The action was caught on video.



I had taken a camera out with me and the flashes can be seen on the video as I took a few photographs. Honey had only gone as far as burying her head, ostrich style, in a nearby fern.



You can see how well the varied tones on the hedgehog's spines would make Honey almost invisible in the shaded areas under a hedge. Perfect camouflage.

On checking the recording for last night - Honey was back eating within six minutes of being disturbed. Dried mealworms are a real magnet for Hedgehogs!

Hungry Greenfinches, Hedgehog Visitor

A while ago I had a clip of a parent Goldfinch being pursued by two hungry youngsters. Early yesterday morning I watched another adult Goldfinch trying to cope with three youngsters who were following from branch to branch calling and fluttering.

Later in the day the same thing happened to a parent Greenfinch. It had gathered a crop full of seed from the feeders and descended to the lawn pursued by three hungry little ones. Unfortunately the clip is not very long as Bobby chose that moment to get out of bed and go in to the garden. I quietly told him to "come here" but he stopped in the doorway and the birds flew away.



My one visiting Hedgehog paid its usual visit soon after dark, I wonder what happened to the large one as I haven't seen him for quite a while. Two visits were made to the feeder but last night the water dish was ignored.



Not that it went without water. After the second session of mealworm scoffing it wandered towards the path at the back of the building. There it decided to have its drink from the dish I leave out for Bobby. Then it scurried at full speed along the path and disappeared from sight.

This morning I checked through last nights recordings to see if any other hogs visited while I was in the land of nod. Unfortunately not! Just the same one making more return visits for mealworm snacks.



I switch off the white lights when I go to bed so the late night video is just lit by a few IR LEDs in the camera.

Walkies and a Hedgehog Visitor

Yesterday was another scorcher. I spent part of the morning installing some extra lighting for hoggy cam. In the afternoon we went for a leisurely stroll down a local lane. There wasn't much in the way of wildlife to see as I think most was sheltering from the heat.

A lone Wood Pigeon sat in tree taking no notice of us as we walked past.



At one stage a small frog hopped across the path and disappeared in the long grass. Fortunately Bobby hadn't spotted it .



Most of the thistles have gone to seed but every now and then there would be a lone late flower.



On the way back home we pass the now defunct village post office (how to kill the heart of a village in one easy lesson). Denis and Marion still have lovely hanging baskets though.



A couple of the trees that the council planted some years ago are groaning under the weight of their crop of brilliant red berries.





Bobby loves his walks and never refuses to go but by the time we were wending our way home he definitely had that expression which said, "It's too hot for me" and " Is someone going to carry me?"



After a saucer of cool milk and a quick snack he got himself in his most comfortable position for a well earned doze letting plenty of fresh air cool his tired paws.




As I said at the start, I had rigged up a couple of modern 12V white LED lamps. They are a lot brighter than I thought they would be. I had fixed them to shine across the feeding area where the Hedgehogs visit. The idea was to have enough light to keep the camera in colour. At the same time I had masked off most of the IR LEDs in the camera. When I first switched the new lights on last night I wondered if the brightness would put off any hogs but the lure of dried mealworms still worked. I need to experiment with the position of the lights as they glare if the hog gets right in front of them but on the whole they are doing the job.

A few short extracts from last nights visit.



It wasn't just Bobby who slept well last night. Normally I wake up two or three times in the night but I only woke once very briefly otherwise slept soundly until the radio came on at 6.30 this morning.

Flicks and Flutters for Friday

One of the Magpies has returned to the garden area after an absence of several weeks. Even when it cannot be seen I know it is there. It seems as though it chatters and chunters to itself all the time. For a while I have been trying to film it but Magpies are so shy here they disappear at the slightest movement. At last I managed to film it through the kitchen window and the sound which was coming through the open back door was just recordable.



As well as the visiting Goldfinches there has been an increase recently in the number of Greenfinches making regular visits to the feeding area.



One Hedgehog continues to visit soon after dark. Here it is seen tucking in to its favourite dried mealworms followed by a drink of water, a good shake and a wander off to the rest of the garden.



For once I watched what the hog did next. It wandered along the edge of the lawn in the direction of the pond stopping every now and then to snuffle out something to eat. Probably small beetles which make up the main part of a hedgehog's diet. It stayed still long enough for me to take its portrait.



If it had been Honey she would have run away at full speed. Henry always stayed put but this one seemed smaller than Henry so it may well be a different hog.

That was the flicks (a slang word for moving pictures) now for the flutters. I actually took a real camera with me on our afternoon perambulation to the cricket field yesterday in the hope of seeing some dragons but as is normal when I take a camera they had all disappeared. There were many seven spot ladybirds in evidence on the brambles which was good to see as I understand they are under threat from the invading harlequins. Also in evidence were a few butterflies.

An area at one end of the field always has a magnificent crop of thistles. Many had already gone to seed and were dispersing in the breeze.



Those still in flower were attracting numerous Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.



I was fortunate enough to spot a couple of Comma butterflies. A variety I never see in the garden.



Also spotted was what I think is a Speckled Wood.
(Thanks Roy for confirming the identification)



Apart from flies and wasps by the score the only other life spotted was the usual crop of bumble bees which still visit the lavender bushes in my front garden.

Time for an Autumn Clean Out

Spent this morning giving the Blut Tit nest box a clean out.
Took the box down. Here you can see one of the side windows I added to give some light for colour pictures during the day. The windows are cut from a plastic milk bottle.



Unscrewed the roof and tipped out the old moss which a Blue Tit had abandoned last year and gave the inside a good clean out.



Removed the camera and gave the lens a gentle clean as it was giving murky pictures. Refixed and checked the camera was working properly and looking in the right direction.



Gave the inside of the box a dusting of Bird Box Dusting Powder and added a thin layer of chopped dried grass, then positioned the waterproof membrane which sits under the wooden roof. This is an extra I added so any water leaks would run away from the camera.



Last job was to screw the roof back on and fix the box back in position on the back wall of the shed amongst the artificial ivy. Reconnected the camera. A quick test showed all was well.



Job Done!

Here Be Dragons

A frustrating morning. Couldn't settle to much as I had my annual check up at the local hospital this morning. I knew there were road works on the way and in the end it took nearly twenty five minutes to drive the four miles. Seen early for the ultra sound scan but had to wait ages in the queue for my Xray. Decided to use a different route back which meant driving through the town but I forgot the chaos in the narrow streets on market day. Now I have to wait until the end of December before I find out the results.

I was ravenous by the time I got home just after mid-day as I hadn't been allowed to eat anything since the night before and was only allowed to drink water.

After a hurried ham sandwich and a mug of coffee I took a tour round the garden. Once again there was a Common Darter Dragonfly flitting about which gave me a few photo opportunities.



The small sections of coloured pigment on the wings actually give a little extra weight which helps the dragonfly control its wings.



There was also a Common Hawker flying around which flew between my legs twice while I waited to see whether it would settle. Needless to say it was being awkward and didn't stop once before it left the garden.

Here, especially for Shysongbird, is a poem I found:

“Today I saw the dragon-fly
Come from the wells where he did lie.
An inner impulse rent the veil
Of his old husk: from head to tail
Came out clear plates of sapphire mail.
He dried his wings: like gauze they grew;
Through crofts and pastures wet with dew
A living flash of light he flew.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson

During our afternoon walk down the lane there were several Common Darters and some lovely looking brambles but why is they are always the opposite side of a three feet deep ditch?



Finally a Greenfinch at the bird bath. Another dribbler but this time the water was dropping straight back in the bath so no bib needed this time Glo.



It was only when I enlarged the photo that I noticed the ring on its right leg. I think this is one of this years brood so may have been ringed fairly locally.

Demon Eyes and Other Visitors

I expect that Dunnocks visit the garden fairly frequently but I only spot one every now and then as they tend to stay close to shelter. It was very dull the other day when I spied this one on the garden fence in the shade of overhanging bushes.



During a brighter session I spotted a Chaffinch having a drink from the bird bath and later a Goldfinch sitting in the sunlight giving its feathers a good preen.



Another of the bird sown Sunflowers has now opened fully and is being visited by various insects including this Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.



One or more adult Hedgehogs continue to visit for a snack of crushed unsalted peanuts, dried mealworms, Sunflower hearts and raisins. Yesterday a new day / night camera arrived so I fixed it in position to try it out. It is in a fairly low position and the intense reflections from the hog's eyes gives it the appearance of a spiky demon.



Today I have moved the camera a bit higher to see what difference that makes. I will not know the results until after dark tonight.

Thanks to all who left kind messages regarding the loss of Hope, the young Hedgehog. They were much appreciated.

As no Hedgehog seems to have made any visit to the hedgehog house I am contemplating moving it to a different spot. I wonder whether the dead pine needles in that area of the garden put off the hedgies as they have soft feet and probably find it uncomfortable walking in that area.