Thieving Magpie

I happened to spot this video capture this morning. I was curious as to what it was doing.



In the past I have seen them bury the occasional peanut in the lawn. This is first time I have been able to work out how and why some food suddenly goes missing from the bird table.

Fox Visitor

Wow - best part of a month since I last wrote anything. Not that there has been much of real interest to inspire me until now. I was idly checking through last night's video captures when I spotted this fleeting visit:



Not sure whether its coat shows signs of mange or whether it is wet for some reason. On checking my other cameras I see it explored most of the garden. The Hedgehog had been in the Hedgehog House but had left about five minutes before the Fox arrived.

Three is a Crowd ...

... when it comes to Hedgehogs. Checking this morning's video recordings I was surprised to see three Hedgehogs visited the feeding station. First there were two which were wary of each other. The third visitor was very forceful in making sure it would be the next to enter for a free breakfast.



Unfortunately this video camera stopped recording sound some months ago. It looks as though all were safe and healthy in spite of the battle. It is a good job they have a thick coat of spines.

I have been keeping a watch on the camera nest box but the Blue Tits seem to have chosen somewhere else to nest this year.

Rook Raids Seed Feeder

Several times I found the lid on the seed feeder had been opened. It shouldn't have been gusty winds as it has a magnetic catch. I thought it may have been a squirrel though I haven't seen one in the garden for over a year. This morning I decided to check the camera recordings .....



I should have known that a corvid would have the intelligence to work out how to open the lid - as you can see with this Rook.

More Pocket Love

Six weks ago I showed the few flowers which had been produced on last years growth. Now this years mature growth is showing what a Dendrobium hybrid Pocket Love orchid can really look like when in flower.





Only just viewable in the first photo - on the left hand side of the plant - there are two new growths which, with good luck, should both produce flowers.

Oncidium croesus Orchid

I knew I obtained this miniature orchid some time ago but was surprised to find it was bought five years ago. It has taken until this year for it to finally produce some flowers. As I appear to have found the right conditions for growth it should now flower every year.





This orchid is a native species to Brazil, growing at elevations of 400 to 600 metres above sea level.

Hedgehog in a Hurry

A quick movement on the monitor caught my intention. The animal was moving so fast I thought it may have been a rat. On checking the video recordings I could see it was my Hedgehog visitor rushing to check whether there was any bird food worth eating and then rushing off to the back of the garden.



The times shown by the clocks are set differently. The first in on GMT and the second on BST.