Macro on Monday - Guess What

Virtual gold stars to Jan, Glo and Frank for correctly identifying the tiny flower of the Corkscrew Hazel in last week's puzzle picture. Well done to all.

   

I wonder how people will get on with this:



Clue: compost.

No prizes for a correct guess - just for fun.

A Change of Lighting

H has settled down to the old routine and visits the feeding area three or four times each night. The change of lighting seems to have made a difference for the XL2. It doesn't look any brighter to my eyes but the replacement LED lamps give a whiter light.



The four 12 volt lamps are about 45mm in diameter, waterproof and each contains 12 LEDs. Also I mounted them a bit lower down and I think they are now doing just the right job of illuminating Hedgehogs without disturbing them.

Hedgehog Midnight Feast

The night before last I saw the Hedgehog under the Birdy Bistro at bedtime. I had put the camcorder away and by the time I set it up again hedgie had gone. Last night I left everything set up just in case. My luck was in. Just after I had locked up for the night it arrived. The video is grainy as the only light is four small LED lamps about 1.5m above the feeding area so the XL2 had to be used on night vision.



H is enjoying dried raisins and dried mealworms - ignoring the kibbled unsalted peanuts.

If you are going to put out food and drink for hedgehogs remember they only need water to drink - milk is bad for them as their system cannot digest it. Food must be unsalted. Crushed unsalted peanuts, dried mealworms, raisins, cat food but not things like corned beef or spam as they are salty.

This is the setup I used. XL2 fitted with a Canon EF 70-200mm lens. The above was filmed at 70mm but with the adaptor to get the lens to fit the camcorder it acts like a 500mm telephoto lens.



I spent a while this morning altering the LED lighting to see whether I can improve it a bit.

Friday at the Flicks - Nestbox, Ripe Berries, Ladybird

I think the Great Tit had better make its mind up about using the nest box as a nesting site as it is not the only one interested. A few days ago I happened to catch sight of a Blue Tit in there. Luck must have been on its side as a minute after it had left the Great Tit arrived.



I had often wondered why there were so many berries left on plants, especially after a harsh Winter. I can only assume they were not ripe enough. It would appear that they are in just the right condition now as a Female Blackbird and a Wood Pigeon were seen helping themselves.



Yesterday was a beautiful day. The afternoon temperature just topped 14C.
It would seem Spring may not be too far away. Not only have more birds been singing and the local Hedgehog getting up and about but I also spied this seven spot ladybird on the move from its winter shelter. The video is a bit wobbly as it was taken hand held with the Lumix TZ7. Seeing it close up was the first time I had noticed little things like the order it moves its legs when walking.



That's it for another week. Have a great time observing the wildlife around you.

Hedgehog Visit

After many trials and tribulations I managed to set up a temporary recorder to catch any action last night. I put out some crushed unsalted peanuts in case the Hedgehog went walkabout. The recorder managed to capture one reasonable piece of video.



Looks like I had better give the camera a wash and brush up as it has been out in all weathers over the winter. In case you are wondering the clip starts with a still frame from the video. Also I need to re-route the cables so I can use my normal recorder as it is easier to operate.

Was it Henry or Honey

... or something else?  At bedtime three nights ago Bobby was dashing round the garden following a scent he had picked up. Nothing was to be seen and I assumed it had been an unwelcome four legged furry nocturnal visitor. Nothing was noticed the following night. Last night at bedtime Bobby made a dash across the lawn to the ground feeder. At first I couldn't make out anything but as my eyes became accustomed to the torchlight I made out the unmistakable shape of a large Hedgehog. Needless to say I rushed in to grab a camera but by the time I returned it had vanished.

To say the least I was surprised to see a Hedgehog at this time of year, especially as temperatures have been around 3C for nearly a week. They do occasionally wake from hibernation on warm days. I wonder whether Bobby had disturbed it. There have been occasions when I have wondered if something was nesting under one of my hedges as every so often Bobby would gently creep under wagging his tail like mad.

Fortunately I had been putting out some bird food, including kibbled peanut, at night ready for the early birds so I guess that was what hedgie was eating. At least it had access to a reasonable protein diet as there won't be many beetles around for it to eat at this time of year. Also it will be able to get access to water as I have seen Hedgehogs climb up to the pond waterfall in the past.

I had though I had lost all the Hedgehogs when the three regulars stopped visiting somewhere around late August last year. Far too early to have started hibernation. It was great to see I could possibly have a resident.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

Oh dear, it looks as though I get to keep my gold stars once again. Jan was getting close with her thought of a bird's nest. What I had photographed was the entrance to a roosting pocket. I have a couple of these hung up but I haven't noticed them being used as a roost though the occasional Sparrow has briefly investigated them. The one I photographed was a spare which had been stored in the shed.

   

Right - I wonder how you will get on with this one. It is a small crop from a photo taken a couple of days ago with the Lumix. The camera is not waterproof so it is not a sea anemone. The red / pink part is, at the most, about 5mm across.



Very hard to think of a clue which doesn't give the game away. Let's just say I had to twist and turn to get a good view of it.

Many thanks as ever to those who tried to guess the last photo and good luck for this week. No prizes for a correct identification. Just for fun.