Don't encourage me @purplerallim I've already been looking up hedgehog houses, have bought him a bag of food! My cat doesn't like the food I bought so I know he won't be eating it, a magpie has had a go though.
Serendipity. Went to pick up the latest set of fallen twigs. Heard a hoot and saw these. Managed to get the camera before they moved. Mother owl Baby owl
That's the good thing about hog food, cats tend not to like it. Hubby bought me a hog house for Christmas @Crazybeelady , but don't be tempted to put food in it as it encourages rats. As for a food station we use a storage box with a door cut in it, it keeps the food dry, it can go out into the open garden without disturbing the hoggies, but keeps it away from everything else. ( except birds who find a way in, its blackbirds in ours😆) Welcome to a nightly ritual of hog watching, yes we are a bit touched😉, but it is a joy to do.
My old recycling box had a crack in it so I made the hole in it and used black tape to cover any sharp edges. I’ve placed it on some black marine board which is washable (hedgehogs poo a lot!!) and the bricks are on the top to stop cats/dogs nudging the box out of the way.
I bought a hedgehog house once but they seem to be too small and not very practical for keeping clean, not that any hedgehogs have ever been in it, only mice!!
Fantastic photos @Palustris weren’t you lucky to see them. We have tawny owl chicks near us who call all night for the parents to feed them but I’ve never seen them in the day, despite looking, they’re just so well camouflaged.
Very jealous of the owl pics @Palustris, I've never seen anything like that in the wild, the best I've managed is a glimpse of something flying above when I've been driving. I don't venture out very late though as I always walk alone. Anyway thanks for all the hedgehog assistance, it's another thing for me to worry about 😄. I drive through my estate making sure there's no sign of a dead hedgehog. If he decided to live in my garden then he wouldn't need to venture out into danger!
Lovely pic @Valley Gardener. I was hillwalking yesterday, and it's the time of year for seeing those huge dragonflies on the [usually] boggy lower slopes - probably a bit earlier than usual too. It was difficult to see if I'd even got him in the pic as it was so bright, and they're so well camouflaged, so I had to zoom in instead. I couldn't see well enough to tell if I'd actually got him in the shot and I couldn't get any closer because of the site. Fortunately, he was in one pic!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Dragonflies scare me to death. At school in the 60s, during a biology class, we had to open various boxes to study the contents. One had a dragonfly in it (dead of course!) and I’ve been terrified ever since. They are soooo scary. I can cope with mice and rats no problem🤣😂
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Baby owl
Hubby bought me a hog house for Christmas @Crazybeelady , but don't be tempted to put food in it as it encourages rats.
As for a food station we use a storage box with a door cut in it, it keeps the food dry, it can go out into the open garden without disturbing the hoggies, but keeps it away from everything else. ( except birds who find a way in, its blackbirds in ours😆)
Welcome to a nightly ritual of hog watching, yes we are a bit touched😉, but it is a joy to do.
My old recycling box had a crack in it so I made the hole in it and used black tape to cover any sharp edges. I’ve placed it on some black marine board which is washable (hedgehogs poo a lot!!) and the bricks are on the top to stop cats/dogs nudging the box out of the way.
I bought a hedgehog house once but they seem to be too small and not very practical for keeping clean, not that any hedgehogs have ever been in it, only mice!!
Not cheap but very well made and mine are 5 or 6 years old and still going strong.
https://www.riversidewoodcraft.co.uk/hedgehog-houses/
Anyway thanks for all the hedgehog assistance, it's another thing for me to worry about 😄. I drive through my estate making sure there's no sign of a dead hedgehog. If he decided to live in my garden then he wouldn't need to venture out into danger!
I was hillwalking yesterday, and it's the time of year for seeing those huge dragonflies on the [usually] boggy lower slopes - probably a bit earlier than usual too.
It was difficult to see if I'd even got him in the pic as it was so bright, and they're so well camouflaged, so I had to zoom in instead. I couldn't see well enough to tell if I'd actually got him in the shot and I couldn't get any closer because of the site.
Fortunately, he was in one pic!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...