Hog-news – First Contact 2019!

 

Hedgehog poo! (Hand for scale)

I get excited about some strange things I guess – they include Hedgehog poo!

A couple of mornings ago (13th April to be precise), I found (and of course we then photographed) what I thought was Hedgehog droppings in 2 places in the garden. It certainly wasn’t the local moggies – they dig up my plants rather than fertilise the lawn! Graham then found a third lot.

I checked with the lovely Jayne at Happy Hedgehog Rescue in Yateley, and she confirmed it was indeed the poo of a healthy Hedgehog.

So of course we put the trail cameras out that night….. Nothing.

So we put them out again last night (14th – 15th April 2019)….. Success!!
We have a Hedgehog in our garden again. Couldn’t be more delighted. Simple things.

Looking at the photographs more closely, I’m thinking it has the same ‘roughed up’ bit on it’s left rump as last years, so I’m wondering if it’s the same Hedgehog?

We’ve had two hog-houses in the garden over the winter, and I’d sort of convinced myself that neither had been used. But this chap disappeared toward the opening of the left hand one twice last night, under the second trail-cam. So, now I’m not so sure on that either.

Can you see the little rosette of ruffled prickles on it’s left buttock?

We will re-site and re-set the cameras over the next few nights, and see what we discover.

First video clip of 2019 is here.

The last video clip of the night, which I’ve entitled ‘Hedgehog at the Gates of Dawn’ because it also features the dawn chorus, is here.

The next task is to make our Hedgehog a proper feeding station as per the instructions Jayne sent me last year!

More news when we have some.