Hi Annie
Brilliant news about your rather unusual nest! Fingers crossed for a successful brood. Typical hog – we go to a lot of effort to provide them with lovely hog homes to build nests in and they chose somewhere like that. With you mentioning the eyeshine, makes me wonder whether they were in there before you moved the box and already have their eyes open. Eyes open at 2 weeks. But she may also have move them in there, I suppose, afterwards. Sounds a bit of a mystery. Look forward to the next instalment.
The frogs seem to have taken over from the wood mice – no sooner had I said to you they were missing, than later on I see a frog in the pond. It looks a bit smaller than the one there before and a bit jumpy – dived down pretty quick. I just saw that one, when suddenly this tiny little frog appeared at the edge of the pond. So exciting – hope there are even more around.
I know what you mean about the bird id. It seems more frequent that people don’t know what the common birds are, than that they do. Not sure what your mystery bird might be, sounds like a jackdaw, from the description – apart from the size. But jackdaws have bluish eyes. Rooks have palish beaks and front faces, but dark eyes. But maybe a crow. Just looked up hooded crow and that might fit, although it’s the wrong area (but maybe on the way somewhere – apparently they have them in Ireland). They have dark eyes, too. I get jackdaws and rooks, here. The jackdaws always look so alert, with those eyes. They make me laugh the way they all line up on on the fence and then move along sideways. You are lucky to have had a jay visiting!
