Imaging equipment night watchman

[Chefgage]

Finished the imaging session early hours of this morning and when turning the garden light back on to aid in the storage of the equipment I came across this little night watchman.

[ItsmeMaw]

That's cool. Definitely not something we have in Florida!

[Chefgage]

1 hour ago, ItsmeMaw said:

That's cool. Definitely not something we have in Florida!

This one has been visiting regularly in my back garden, there are two others that wonder around the front garden.

[michael8554]

21 hours ago, ItsmeMaw said:

That's cool. Definitely not something we have in Florida!

Alligators ate them all...... 😆

Some states it's illegal to own one !

Michael

[Tiny Clanger]

On 08/09/2021 at 10:30, Chefgage said:

Finished the imaging session early hours of this morning and when turning the garden light back on to aid in the storage of the equipment I came across this little night watchman.

Lovely little mobile  snail slaughterer 🙂 and only slightly alarmed by you, they lower their bodies to the ground and erect the spines on their heads as a first line of defence. 

If you want to encourage him (or her, it's hard to tell, pick them up  and turn them over and the beggars curl up ...) ensure a reliable supply of water at ground level , I have a few glazed plant pot saucers dotted around the edges of the garden , the blackbirds like them for bathing too . This time of year is crucial , especially for young hogs born this spring , they need to achieve sufficient weight to see them through hibernation, 450g is the absolute minimum for them to survive, 600g is ideal. So to keep your visitor visiting through next year you might want to offer some food . I have a greedy cat , equipped with low cunning , extreme persistence and extra claws, so can't put out (non-fish) hedgehog friendly catfood as whatever I do to keep my feline despot from the hedgehog's dinner simply won't work.

However, peanuts (the sort you buy for birds)roughly chopped because hedgies mounths are quite small , with a few raisins mixed in go down well. I put them out at night, if the hedgehog leaves any, the birds tidy up at sunrise. When I fostered a blind hedgehog for the local wildlife hospital (at a time when I was owned by a less resourceful cat) the hedgie used to trundle round the garden in the daytime ( being blind I don't  think she bothered to be nocturnal) and once noisily chomped and hoovered up half a chocolate digestive I'd accidentally dropped while sitting reading in the garden one afternoon. I'm not suggesting feeding a hedgehog digestive biscuits , especially not chocolate ones , just illustrating that their tastes are not limited to cat food and garden pests !

Loads of info at the British Hedgehog Preservation Soc. website here  https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/

and specific autumn advice here https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/Autumn-Juveniles

Heather

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Great. We haven't seen a hedgehog in the garden for years. ☹️ I need to try grabbing a pic of Betty the Bat!

[Chefgage]

6 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Lovely little mobile  snail slaughterer 🙂 and only slightly alarmed by you, they lower their bodies to the ground and erect the spines on their heads as a first line of defence. 

If you want to encourage him (or her, it's hard to tell, pick them up  and turn them over and the beggars curl up ...) ensure a reliable supply of water at ground level , I have a few glazed plant pot saucers dotted around the edges of the garden , the blackbirds like them for bathing too . This time of year is crucial , especially for young hogs born this spring , they need to achieve sufficient weight to see them through hibernation, 450g is the absolute minimum for them to survive, 600g is ideal. So to keep your visitor visiting through next year you might want to offer some food . I have a greedy cat , equipped with low cunning , extreme persistence and extra claws, so can't put out (non-fish) hedgehog friendly catfood as whatever I do to keep my feline despot from the hedgehog's dinner simply won't work.

However, peanuts (the sort you buy for birds)roughly chopped because hedgies mounths are quite small , with a few raisins mixed in go down well. I put them out at night, if the hedgehog leaves any, the birds tidy up at sunrise. When I fostered a blind hedgehog for the local wildlife hospital (at a time when I was owned by a less resourceful cat) the hedgie used to trundle round the garden in the daytime ( being blind I don't  think she bothered to be nocturnal) and once noisily chomped and hoovered up half a chocolate digestive I'd accidentally dropped while sitting reading in the garden one afternoon. I'm not suggesting feeding a hedgehog digestive biscuits , especially not chocolate ones , just illustrating that their tastes are not limited to cat food and garden pests !

Loads of info at the British Hedgehog Preservation Soc. website here  https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/

and specific autumn advice here https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/Autumn-Juveniles

Heather

Thank you for that reply. I did put out water during the last hot spell, but I will make sure I keep on putting some water out.

[Chefgage]

On 09/09/2021 at 12:54, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Great. We haven't seen a hedgehog in the garden for years. ☹️ I need to try grabbing a pic of Betty the Bat!

I was imaging down in devon last year.  we was camped next to a small pond.  During the night as I was imaging there was a couple of bats that were flying around us.  Had to to duck a couple of times!!!

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

1 minute ago, Chefgage said:

I was imaging down in devon last year.  we was camped next to a small pond.  During the night as I was imaging there was a couple of bats that were flying around us.  Had to to duck a couple of times!!!

Despite their reputation it's great to have bats. They eat those dreaded midges afterall. We only see one at a time. Every year for the last few years. Betty occasionally divebombs. All good fun.