Garden visitors

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Mrs M

Guru
Location
Aberdeenshire
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Nipped out tonight to put something in the recycling.
Saw a wee brown creature that was not our wee cat Sam.
Discovered a little hedgehog trying to escape under the “Wendy House” and just froze as couldn’t get all the way under.
Put out a wee bowl of cat food in the green bowl and left the little one to it.
Have seen evidence of a hedgehog visitor in the garden but not met until now :smile:
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
We were sat in our garden earlier and the cat suddenly perked up and started stalking along the fence. "she's seen a mouse" we thought, then a black and white stripped head appeared under the fence. Mrs PP gasped and Mr Badger was duly startled and went away. I shooed the cat away as she was about to follow him and I didn't think her seeing him off the premises was necessary nor at all wise. We'd seen evidence previously - squashed plants, grubbed up bulbs and the wife had seen him briefly at night by the french doors a year back but it's still quite exciting to see a badger in your own garden in broad daylight - in the middle of the city too (Bristol).
 
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PeteXXX

Cake or ice cream? The choice is endless ...
Location
Hamtun
We have one regular hedgehog visiting, and two more occasionally. It commutes under our fence, to and from the neighbours, via a dip in the soil (that we make sure stays open) and digs through the gravel to get under the gate into our front garden. We do feed them and leave a bowl of water out, but don't feed every night as they'd rely on it and not hunt out our slugs.. A good reason to not use slug pellets!

Usual pesky grey squirrels, doing acrobatics on the bird feeder and digging soil out of plant containers.

Birds are a bit scarce at the moment, with our usual tit population hardly turning up at all.

And i think we have mice in one of the lesser sheds as some of the plastic bags containing seed have been chewed through. I found this out when I picked the bag up and it emptied over the floor.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Yes we get those pesky things and a huge rat which evades all my attempts at trapping.
Aye, folk think they're fluffy and cute, but they're an invasive foreign species that is edging out our native red squirrel. I'm happy to shoot as many as I can find.

No rats here that I know of, but I don't have any night vision gear for shooting so can't be certain.
 
Aye, folk think they're fluffy and cute, but they're an invasive foreign species that is edging out our native red squirrel. I'm happy to shoot as many as I can find.

No rats here that I know of, but I don't have any night vision gear for shooting so can't be certain.
No night vision required, this brazen blighter is out in broad daylight. Though having said that since i've had the old air rifle refurbed i've not spotted it .
 
The slug eating rarely happens unfortunately. They only eat them as a last resort when they're starving. Other than that, its good to have them, what do you feed them?

We have one regular hedgehog visiting, and two more occasionally. It commutes under our fence, to and from the neighbours, via a dip in the soil (that we make sure stays open) and digs through the gravel to get under the gate into our front garden. We do feed them and leave a bowl of water out, but don't feed every night as they'd rely on it and not hunt out our slugs.. A good reason to not use slug pellets!

Usual pesky grey squirrels, doing acrobatics on the bird feeder and digging soil out of plant containers.

Birds are a bit scarce at the moment, with our usual tit population hardly turning up at all.

And i think we have mice in one of the lesser sheds as some of the plastic bags containing seed have been chewed through. I found this out when I picked the bag up and it emptied over the floor.
 

PeteXXX

Cake or ice cream? The choice is endless ...
Location
Hamtun
The slug eating rarely happens unfortunately. They only eat them as a last resort when they're starving. Other than that, its good to have them, what do you feed them?
I don't want to take the risk of them eating a poisonous snack!
We feed them cat food, or hedgehog food that MrsPete bought in Wilko. They love that!
 

oldwheels

Legendary Member
Location
Isle of Mull
Blasted red deer again. The veg plot is fenced all round with only a lift off gate for entry. The b———- have now learned how to lift the gate and squeeze under. All my runner beans gone again but strangely they don’t seem to like broad bean foliage or kale.Some courgette leaves gone also. Last year they tried to break down the fence but that is now reinforced and the gate is now firmly fixed with no gap under. Since I am now surrounded by houses cannot shoot them without causing a major incident and probably arrival of the firearms squad.
 

Smudge

Veteran
Location
Somerset
Aye, folk think they're fluffy and cute, but they're an invasive foreign species that is edging out our native red squirrel. I'm happy to shoot as many as I can find.

No rats here that I know of, but I don't have any night vision gear for shooting so can't be certain.

Do you eat the ones you shoot ?
Sposed to be good eating they are.
 

oldwheels

Legendary Member
Location
Isle of Mull
As an extra to my red deer troubles they also leave little gifts —- ticks. Since my garden is not exactly tidy being a kind of wildlife paradise there is plenty of long grass round the edges and when I try to cut that back a bit the ticks migrate to me. Had four so far this year.
 
D

Deleted member 26715

Guest
We don't get hedgehogs anymore, in fact not seen one on the estate for a few years, but I have noticed an increase in birds, butterflies & dragonflies this year, not particularly in the garden but when out & about.
 
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