Wet Hedgehogs, Jackdaw Juveniles, Fruit to Come

It was quite surprising to see how much Hedgehog activity there was on Saturday night as it rained on and off for hours, sometimes very heavily. I don't know where they were sheltering but every time the rain eased off there would be one visiting the feeding area.



I don't always check the recorded activity  once it has started to get light but had noticed for a while now that the Jackdaws were very early visitors. On closer examination of the video captures I could see that they were bringing their young ones to feed. It was interested to see how the adults mainly fed from the ground while the juveniles were allowed to feed from the dish of seeds.



I had a look round yesterday to see whether the heavy rain had knocked any fruit from my patio fruit trees. No. My one pear, the first the tree has produced, and several plums were still growing nicely - again the first that tree has produced.

       

There are lots of blackcurrants on the bushes which are swelling nicely and the raspberry flowers were being pollinated by a host of bees.



Just about ready for tasting is the first of my strawberries to ripen in the greenhouse.



Unfortunately the plants haven't produced much fruit but I have no doubt I will enjoy it none the less.

Make Your Nature Count + Hedgehog Visitors

Once again in the UK the RSPB are asking people to count the birds which visit their gardens. The event is called Make Your Nature Count. This time the count is in June. In fact it started yesterday but you can choose any one hour period on any day up to 13 June. Counting will be the same method as used in the Big Garden Birdwatch - the maximum number of each species landing in the garden at any one time during your chosen hour. As well as the bird numbers the RSPB would also like to know which mammals are visiting our gardens.

Full details can be found HERE on the RSPB web site.


As for my regular visiting mammals, hedgehogs continue to visit. As there are several appearances during each night it is impossible to say how many individuals there are. The hedgehog house hasn't been used for quite a while now.

This close up of a hedgehog feeding was taken with a camcorder set on night vision so movement can become blurred with the slow shutter speed used.



This capture was made automatically by a video camera and a DVR which detects motion. I love the way the hedgehog has a drink, walks round the water pot and then paddles through it. Hedgehogs are good swimmers and I suppose it is one way of cooling your toes on a hot night.



Quite a change in the weather. I was kept awake until 1 a.m. by thunder and lightning and was woken at 6 a.m. by more thunder. As it was forecast I had unplugged the computer from the mains and from the telephone line as I know several people who have have had their equipment damaged by nearby lightning strikes, especially through phone lines. At least we have had some rain which is sorely needed by the garden plants and my pond.

You can get Something for Nothing

What I am talking about is computer programs. Not those from the very big names in the business and not ripped off or otherwise dodgy material. A few months ago I found a web site called Giveaway of the Day where a fully working program is available for download for 24 hours. All sorts of programs have been available, a different one each day. From what I have seen and tried some are excellent others leave much to be desired. What I do is to look each morning to see what is on offer. If the program looks interesting I wait until later in the day and check back to see what others who have tried the program think of it. Just click on the Proceed to Download button. Nothing is downloaded at that stage. It takes you to the download page and also shows comments left by others who have tried the program.

You will notice that, like many sites, right next to the download button is an offer to scan your drive for errors. Personally I always ignore such offers. I like to know what programs are checking my drives and only use trusted programs I have used for years. 

If you are interested in a program then it has to be downloaded and installed before the 24 hour period ends. Just read the text file which is in the zipped download to find out how to activate it. What you do not get is free help or free updates, otherwise the program is normally functioning in the same way as a paid for version and will continue working for as long as you keep it. Also, as the activation is only available for that short period, if you lose the program through a drive crash or change computer then you will have lost the fully working program. All is explained on the web site.



Yesterday's giveaway was an excellent collage program which I used to make the above picture. This was not the first time Picture Collage Maker had been available so you never know, it may come up again in a few months time.

From what I have seen it would appear there is such a thing as a free lunch! I cannot see any catch in the system, no advertising, no unsolicited emails, no viruses so far, just fully working programs which normally cost money.

If you find the occasional program which looks to be of interest then you have to make the decision yourself as to whether it is suitable for your computer as I can only say what works here. Always check which operating system is recommended as I cannot be held responsible for any problems which may arise on your set up. I have no connection with Giveaway of the Day other than being an interested observer and downloader.

Friday at the Flicks (Greenfinch Family, Bathing Starlings, Newt Eating)

The Greenfinch family have visited a couple of times and on the second occasion I was able to take some video of them. Mother and youngster were at the seed feeder while father stayed nearby keeping watch in case the rowdy gang of Starlings returned.



The Starling families are here several times a day. I don't have to see them to know they are about as the sound of hungry juveniles can be deafening. One thing that can be said about Starlings - they keep themselves clean and can be found bathing in any available water, no matter how small the container.



Once I have given the tadpoles their daily ration of Koi floating sticks I sometimes put a few in the main pond for the fish. One day to my surprise I spotted a Smooth Newt helping itself to a piece which had been missed by the fish.



It took about five minutes to devour the whole stick and it was fascinating to see the way it would slowly approach its quarry and then make a lunge.

Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Tiger Crane Fly

This crane fly was on the outside of my kitchen window for hours. From the inside it appeared to be one of the usual drab varieties. It wasn't until I looked at the photo taken from outside that I noticed the yellow and black stripes.





As there are over 4000 different types of crane fly it took a while to be certain of the identification:
Crane-fly Nephrotoma flavescens
which is commonly found in gardens though I have never really noticed this type before now. I was surprised it stayed put when I held the TZ7 really close to get a decent shot, as can be seen by the reflection of the camera in the outside photo.

A Greenfinch Family

Since the outbreak of finch trichomonad parasite disease last year it has been a rare treat to see a Greenfinch in the garden. Yesterday it was a pleasant surprise to see a family at the seed feeder. The youngster, bottom left, was already able to feed itself.

Tadpoles

It is two months since the last of the frog spawn was transferred to the nursery pond to keep any emerging tadpoles safe from the fish in the main pond. They are continuing to grow and now show well developed back legs.



Even in the small pond they are now difficult to catch as they are more aware and observant, diving down at the slightest sign of movement.