Hedgehog House

[catzrcool]

Well at Christmas I spotted 2 young hedgehogs in the muddy flower beds just laid there. So big gloves on and we were out with the cat box. They were under weight and looking a bit under the weather. Not sure where they have come from though.

We are lucky as we have Oggles hedgie rescue a couple of miles away, so I rang Vicky and she came for them. (Had to ring her before as we had a hedgehog coughing and sneezing in one of our houses). She had a look at the little youngsters and they were underweight and had a bit of ringworm, and off she trotted with them. Shouldn't be out on their own, especially during the day. But hedgehog mothers tend to abandon their babies at about 8 weeks.

They are still eating fine and putting on weight she says this morning but hating their medicated baths. They are quite feisty. She will keep them now until they are well enough to fend for themselves and the weather is a bit better. Then she will return them to our garden. What as lovely lady she is.

 

[Peppermint Patti]

Well at Christmas I spotted 2 young hedgehogs in the muddy flower beds just laid there. So big gloves on and we were out with the cat box. They were under weight and looking a bit under the weather. Not sure where they have come from though.

We are lucky as we have Oggles hedgie rescue a couple of miles away, so I rang Vicky and she came for them. (Had to ring her before as we had a hedgehog coughing and sneezing in one of our houses). She had a look at the little youngsters and they were underweight and had a bit of ringworm, and off she trotted with them. Shouldn't be out on their own, especially during the day. But hedgehog mothers tend to abandon their babies at about 8 weeks.

They are still eating fine and putting on weight she says this morning but hating their medicated baths. They are quite feisty. She will keep them now until they are well enough to fend for themselves and the weather is a bit better. Then she will return them to our garden. What as lovely lady she is.

We had a young one in the garden a few years ago in late October. We rang the local vets and they said to bring it down as it probably wouldn't survive over the winter.
When hubby went to pick it up to put in a box he said it growled at him.

 

[Samki]

Well at Christmas I spotted 2 young hedgehogs in the muddy flower beds just laid there. So big gloves on and we were out with the cat box. They were under weight and looking a bit under the weather. Not sure where they have come from though.

We are lucky as we have Oggles hedgie rescue a couple of miles away, so I rang Vicky and she came for them. (Had to ring her before as we had a hedgehog coughing and sneezing in one of our houses). She had a look at the little youngsters and they were underweight and had a bit of ringworm, and off she trotted with them. Shouldn't be out on their own, especially during the day. But hedgehog mothers tend to abandon their babies at about 8 weeks.

They are still eating fine and putting on weight she says this morning but hating their medicated baths. They are quite feisty. She will keep them now until they are well enough to fend for themselves and the weather is a bit better. Then she will return them to our garden. What as lovely lady she is.

I always support the local animal rescues - the bigger charities pay their CEO’s far too much

 

[alter ego]

We have this grand old lady Red Kite visiting. She's older than my daughter (mid twenties) according to her ring.

ETA: I've never posted a pic before and can't see the full photo unless I click on it. Any tips?

 

[Grizelda]

They bring home to share and something to play with before eventually killing.
Cats are apex predators they bring their prey back as in the wild the female brings prey back to teach the cubs about killing.

We have this grand old lady Red Kite visiting. She's older than my daughter (mid twenties) according to her ring.

ETA: I've never posted a pic before and can't see the full photo unless I click on it. Any tips?

What a beautiful bird. I tapped on the photo and it filled my screen.

 

[donna255]

Unfortunately, farmers hate Red Kites and poison them.

 

[madaunty]

Unfortunately, farmers hate Red Kites and poison them.

They'd best not. They are a protected species in the UK.

 

[donna255]

But they still do. It is reported on the local news finding dead birds.

 

[Battiola73]

I get hedgehogs in my garden, they come through a gap in my fence. Fence needs replacing. I bet I get a few odd looks when I get quotes for a new one, when I ask for a gap or hole in it so they can still get in my garden.

 

[alter ego]

What a beautiful bird. I tapped on the photo and it filled my screen.

We set up our Ring doorbell cam in the garden and caught the ring number. The BTO told us she was, at the time, the oldest Red Kite in the UK.

But they still do. It is reported on the local news finding dead birds.

Just like some fishermen will kill heron as they take the fish from the spots they like to fish. I have actually seen one man shoot one.

Our garden hedgehog will see off the feral cats in our street. We caught a few trying to have a go at Hedge when it was tucking into the food we'd left on the wildlife cam. It was quite funny.

 

[Peppermint Patti]

Unfortunately, farmers hate Red Kites and poison them.

Gamekeepers will kill any bird of prey given the chance.
We quite often have a sparrowhawk in the garden,it sits on the trellis and always looks proud of itself. We quite often see buzzards high in the sky on the thermals. We can usually hear them calling to one another before we see them. There are usually 2 or 3 but last summer there were about 6/7 swooping about, they looked like they were playing. We assumed it was parents with possibly 2 lots of offspring as after a few minutes there was a sharp call and the four swooping about stopped and went back to soaring.
We are not rural we live near the M1 and have a large wood near to us.

 

[rubia]

Gamekeepers will kill any bird of prey given the chance.
We quite often have a sparrowhawk in the garden,it sits on the trellis and always looks proud of itself. We quite often see buzzards high in the sky on the thermals. We can usually hear them calling to one another before we see them. There are usually 2 or 3 but last summer there were about 6/7 swooping about, they looked like they were playing. We assumed it was parents with possibly 2 lots of offspring as after a few minutes there was a sharp call and the four swooping about stopped and went back to soaring.
We are not rural we live near the M1 and have a large wood near to us.

how wonderful to see that

 

[candycane]

We were in Northumberland at Christmas and I was walking Bry at dusk on the golf course when I saw an owl in full flight hovering around looking for mice. It was quite a sight.

CC

 

[donna255]

Not on the same scale but back in the 90s I used to walk to work, we had flecky time, so I went for 8am to leave around 4.30pm. I used to start around 7 am and one morning l looked and a flock of swans flying over. It was so quiet, and it was just by chance I looked up. Totally magical.

Just before Xmas, I saw a heron sitting on the branch of a tree. I did a double take as I did not know they sat in trees.

 

[Mollie]

I get hedgehogs in my garden, they come through a gap in my fence. Fence needs replacing. I bet I get a few odd looks when I get quotes for a new one, when I ask for a gap or hole in it so they can still get in my garden.

I've never seen any fence with hedgehog holes but you can buy baseboards, usually concrete but Wickes does a wooden one. Obviously no use if your other fences were then at different heights -I was thinking about getting one as my fence with a broken hole at bottom needed replacing but then neighbours got a large dog and there were no more hedgehog visits..

The wildlife stories here are so inspiring

 

[candycane]

Not on the same scale but back in the 90s I used to walk to work, we had flecky time, so I went for 8am to leave around 4.30pm. I used to start around 7 am and one morning l looked and a flock of swans flying over. It was so quiet, and it was just by chance I looked up. Totally magical.

Just before Xmas, I saw a heron sitting on the branch of a tree. I did a double take as I did not know they sat in trees.

Our caravan is right on the river and we regularly have herons fishing on the little waterfall right by the van. They are majestic birds in flight.

CC

 

[donna255]

Back in the 90s, loads of my neighbours had fish ponds in the back garden. Then a heron decided to fish and wiped all their fish. It flew low, and I said to my next door neighbour, it was like the concord flying over.

 

[Grizelda]

I was walking with my dog, Connie, in the countryside and I heard loud - I mean really loud - honking. Honk, honk, honk. I looked up and saw a flight of geese. These dear creatures really do honk.

 

[alter ego]

Gamekeepers will kill any bird of prey given the chance.
We quite often have a sparrowhawk in the garden,it sits on the trellis and always looks proud of itself. We quite often see buzzards high in the sky on the thermals. We can usually hear them calling to one another before we see them. There are usually 2 or 3 but last summer there were about 6/7 swooping about, they looked like they were playing. We assumed it was parents with possibly 2 lots of offspring as after a few minutes there was a sharp call and the four swooping about stopped and went back to soaring.
We are not rural we live near the M1 and have a large wood near to us.

If you hadn't said where you lived I'd have thought you're my neighbour. We have a very smug looking sparrow hawk as he's so well fed!

We also have a peregrine falcon who visits occasionally. He's so fast and agile. And deadly.

We're a bit p*ssed off as the woodland directly behind us has an application for planning permission for 100's of houses. They haven't sold the first 150 yet as we're rural and don't have services or transport links here. They're supposed to leave the old oaks along the old hedges but they had oops moments with the first phase and knocked three over. They got fined but haven't re-planted. The big builders don't care as they're trying to sell for obscene prices - over £100k above local older houses.

It'll be curtains for our RK as she swoops down into our garden but won't have the lift to clear the new houses. But at least we've helped her with her broods for the last few years. She brings the chick to the oaks behind us to feed it. It makes quite a racket until dinner is delivered!

 

[lynnonthelake]

We love these Sandhill Cranes ,we call them Fred and Wilma they had two baby chicks this year ,hopefully they survive.