Wildlife in the Garden—Hedgehogs, Goldfish, Birds, Bees, Frogs, etc.

Hightail the Hedgehog and Family in Our Garden near Clacton

12 July, 2016
Hightail the Hedgehog is walking about in our garden in the afternoon. It’s just stopped raining.
What’s he looking for?

Click on this link [Hightail is leading us up the garden path] — to see our new prickly pal on video.

29 June, 2017
Hightail the Hedgehog is trotting around our garden again, foraging around in the soil and leaves in broad daylight.
Is Hightail OK? There are plenty of things for him to eat and pools of water for him to drink from—when the birds and frogs let him.
He comes back down the garden path, passes our side door, and squeezes under our garden gate.
Let’s hope he’s alright, eh!

Click on this link [Hightail is in a hurry] — and see our racy, handsome friend on video.

12 July, 2017
We just got back from a long day out, and who did we see coming down the garden path towards the kitchen door? Was Hightail coming to meet and greet us?

We grabbed our bag of hedgehog food just enough time to put some of it outside his new feeding box and hide before he came round the corner!

Here he is enjoying his treat.

20 July, 2017
I got up at 6 am to make an early cuppa, when I saw Hightail waddling from near the side gate and back up the garden. This time he went up a narrow passage between the side fence and the side of the garage. Then I lost sight of him.

Yes, he “hightailed” it away again!

22 July, 2017
I had trouble sleeping from 3 am, so I reclined in the conservatory listening to the rain. At 5 am I stood up to go back to bed as the rain stopped. Then I was surprised to notice Hightail trotting away up the path. In my pyjamas despite the slight drizzle I tracked him round to the secret garden.

Hightail was guzzling from a wide tray full of water. Then he walked through the water and into the plant cover, span round, looked about, turned round again, and then disappeared under the dense yew tree shrubbery behind.

As I was departing, the corner of my eye just caught sight of guess what! Another hedgehog came from under plants and followed Hightail through to the yew tree undergrowth. This hedgehog is smaller than Hightail and lighter in colour, with apparently shorter bristles. Is it a youngster or a female?

What shall we call our new-found friend? It’s Hosta !

23 July, 2017
I put some hedgehog food on a saucer in the feeding box at 4:15 am. I looked out of the window at 5:15 am and saw Hightail probing inquisitively around the outside of the box. He’d polished off all the food.

This time he went off up the garden path, so I squeezed up the alley behind the outhouses. I reached the end in time to get a snap of Hightail just before he disappeared into the secret garden.

29 July, 2017
Hightail and Hosta came together. Who’s still inside peeping at us? Who’s this going back in after a drink?

23 July, 2017
Hosta licked the bowl clean and was the last to leave.

3 August, 2017
I couldn’t see in the darkness if their bowl was empty, so I went to pick it up. It wasn’t empty! Why? Hosta the hedgehog was in it! Will Hosta return after feeling my touch?

4, 5 August, 2017
It’s all OK. They’re both back again at dusk, and we get a lovely view of them from our window less than 10 feet (3 metres) away.

23 August, 2017
This is the quantity of hedgehog food that we use in our hedgehog feeding box. (“I Love Hedghogs” seems to serve us well, for example.)
Hedgehogs usually hibernate from about October in this area. We’re advised to start reducing the daily quantity from now on—if the hedgehogs are in good health. Otherwise they may delay hibernating, which endangers their survival through winter.

Note also our tomatoes and grapes outside the window a few feet away from the box!

Hogarth the Hedgehog near Nottingham

8 July, 2017
Hogarth the Hedgehog has dropped in. Hello, Hogarth! Sis emailed us to say.

Look what I've just found sitting on top of our garden store cupboard! Goodness knows how it got there—must have fallen off next door’s wall. I put on my gardening gloves and popped it up in the garden. No wonder the dogs were behaving oddly. It was quite heavy: so, well nourished. It wandered off into the undergrowth.

Lovely to see you all today. Take care.

Goldfish in Our Garden near Clacton

23 July, 2017
• Our goldfish are busy just outside the conservatory door.
• Click on this link to play our video clip.
• Watch the goldfish.

Birds in Our Garden
23 July, 2017
• Three little wrens just flew by the conservatory door.
• Click on this link to play our video clip.
• Listen to one of the baby wrens.

6 August, 2017

• Who is this baby bird waiting for its parents?
• Is it a dunnock or a sparrow?
• Click on this link to see it in a panorama view.
• Note the whispy hair style! Who says pets and their owners don’t look alike? Must buy myself a hairtrimmer.

10 August, 2017
• One of the wrens flew inside our conservatory and sat on the foot of the Lady of the House (and Garden).
• What an exceptional thrill!

9 September, 2017
• Lots of seagulls are attracted when the farmer ploughs the fields around us, but they avoid our garden.

Bees in Our Garden
1 August, 2017
Click on this link to see a video clip of our bees.

Frogs in Our Garden
See a larger image of this frog.

29 July, 2017
Our frogs enjoy sitting on the lily pads while the goldfish swim in the clear water below.

Food Grown in Our Garden
31 August, 2017
We grow plenty of fruit and vegetables in our garden near Clacton, but the wildlife loves it as well!

9 September, 2017
The birds enjoy perching among the pears, but they’ve left the fruit for us so far.