Great Tit Roosting in the Nestbox Tonight

Mice Like Peanuts Too

The resident mouse which seems to live under the Summerhouse always helps itself to some of the unsalted peanuts I put down for the Hedgehogs:



It makes several forays day and night but so far I haven't seen it meet up with any of the Hedgehogs.

HDR Art .....

... is an app for the iPhone which works well at 2x size on the iPad.  If you have a dowdy looking photo you want to make look more artistic then HDR Art has plenty of facilities for experimentation. Photos can be taken with the built in camera or loaded from the camera roll. Once in the app there are a whole host of possibilities for changing the look.

   

The first screen (on the left above) shows three of the possible effects. These can be flicked left or right to scroll through the whole range of 63 offered. For each there is a second screen (right above) offering various adjustment to the overall effect.

A few finished examples:







 

Some effects are subtle and some are drastic and gaudy. Something to suit all tastes and scenic moods. How much does this great little app cost? A mere 99c or 69p. Although designed for the iPhone, resolution isn't limited. It will work happily with files I have imported to the iPad which were taken on the Nikon. There are three choices for the saved resolution which can go to the camera roll or be emailed, sent to Twitter and Facebook as well as being printed.

Mediachance, who produced the app, have a good video which shows things better than I can describe them:


I have no connection with Mediachance, just an enthusiastic user.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

Congratulations and the virtual gold star to Wilma and ImaBurdie who definitely identified Penny who was dozing after a hard day supervising. Not sure, TWG, whether you meant a penny coin or my Penny.








For the new mystery photo here is part of a wild creature.
Guess What type of creature:


 Clue: You won't get singed by this one.

No prizes. Just for fun.
Any guesses left in the comments will be revealed, along with the answer, next Monday.

Two Juvenile Hedgehogs

Checking through last night's video captures I was expecting to see the usual solo adult Hedgehog make a visit or two. It was a real thrill to see two juveniles - most probably from this year's brood. The one in the Hedgehog House was having a short nap when a second one turned up. After a look round outside the house the second one went in to search for any food inside:



An adult had visited earlier on so that makes at least three Hedgehogs visiting the garden at the moment. Great to see them coming to eat so they put on enough weight to see them through their Winter hibernation period.

A still shot from the video:
 

This morning I saw a Great Tit make another inspection of the nestbox. Also it was a surprise to see a juvenile Goldfinch visit the feeder. I guess they may have had two broods this year.

Friday at the Flicks .....

..... you guessed it  - Hedgehogs. It's that time of year.


To eat: crushed unsalted peanuts and waxed dried mealworms.
To drink: water.



Have a great weekend watching the wildlife where ever you are.

Casing the Joint

This morning was the first time this Autumn that I noticed a Great Tit inspecting the nestbox:



There will be lots more inspections before we know whether there will be another family raised in the box next Spring. Also there is a chance that it may be used as a roost during the Winter.