Hi Nic
Hedgehog house arrived yesterday, installed it straight away in the border, newspaper in the bottom with hay on top & a bucket on its side next to it with extra hay for them to help themselves if they want any more. Also put some in the back of the 2 kennels in the back so anybody visiting with a nest nearby can take some too as it’ll stay dry. One of them had a visitor last night as the hay was flat & there were muddy pawprints in the kennel entrance.
I’ve been putting the camera out every night to see what’s what out the back & at least one very small hog, looks well rounded & healthy & at least one much larger who also looks good. Always drinking water, helped by the cats who can no longer get to the kitten biscuits but still like a drink of hog foot flavoured water as they always walk in the dish. Most nights all the food bar a few biscuits is gone, the last few nights there’s been over half left though. At least it means there’s enough out there. Nobody went in the new house last night, if I can work out where’s safe for the camera not to be nicked I’ll set it up out there if there’s any sign of activity in it. The garden’s fenced (with 2 hedgehog holes) & has shrubs but the red light going off on the camera could be spotted by a passer by.
Frogs in the pond, bless them! They hibernate under rocks, in compost heaps or underwater according to what I’ve just read. I’ve a few pots in the border half buried or inverted with a doorway I’ve always hoped they’ll use but never seen any signs. If you made a bigger pond you’re more likely to get herons I’d have thought, little ones are more protected from them in a way aren’t they as less noticeable.
I swept up 6 black bags full of wet leaves in our parking area last week, making holes in the bottom for compost with a few but thinking of piling the rest in the border somewhere they can dry out a bit for creatures to use, maybe even the hogs will take some.
Enjoy the latest version of lockdown, vaccination seems very likely to be rolled out next week, never trust anything they say so waiting until it actually happens before believing it. The doctors in ICU over here are keen on us all having it, hope they’re right & it does a safe job to get life a bit more liveable though all the usual defences re space etc will still apply. I for one will not be spending the festive season risking either giving anybody a covid present they don’t want or receiving one myself!
Keep warm & stay safe.
