Hogging it

No sooner had I said that I hadn't seen a Hedgehog this year then one appeared at the Badgers supper plate.

This one seemed very nervous and when I tried to get a better angle from the window it must of heard me moving and it trotted off to the bushes. Hedgehogs, like most animals are happy to supplement their diet of worms and slugs with peanuts.

At least one Badger has been coming regularly, and when I look at this photograph I realised that this is a mother, presumably still with sucking youngsters. It is not at all reliable in its timing and, several times I've either missed it or only seen it briefly. Last night it arrived at about 12.15 a.m. and stayed for about 20 minutes. As I was locking up and turning the lights out I was treated to the sight of it running down the garden at quite a speed. I don't know what had spooked it, I was inside and I saw it by the light of the moth trap, but it had a surprisingly quick turn of speed and a very bounding gait.

When I went out to the moth traps this morning I was greeted by various alarm calls because circling over head was one of the local Sparrowhawks. I'm always amazed at how the Starling group together and chase after the predator, in tight formation. I guess that there is some advantage in this behaviour but disappearing into the eaves would be my choice!