Animals in your garden

[Logan]

Here's my feeding station, I think that i have more than one. Sometimes it's moved right over and all the dried puppy food has gone. I put the bricks there to stop it from being moved around, but it doesn't work that well.

This is the water bowl, yesterday all the water had been all over the patio, what was left was very dirty and bits of pop in it.

I haven't changed it yet.

 

[Sean Regan]

Well, I bought a box today and cut a 4.5 inch hole in the front and positioned it as suggested. The entrance is around six inches away from the low wall around the azalea bed.
I just happened to see the hedgehog arrive, it was looking for the food in its usual place, turned around a couple of times and must have smelt it a a couple of feet away and it was straight in.
It's not a very good photo as I didn't want to use flash. As the entrance will appear similar to the house I've ordered, it should mean it'llseem familiar when it becomes necessary.

We've re-named it, 'arry.

As we don't know if it's a Harry or an Ariadne.

 

[Logan]

That's great @Sean Regan if I could suggest to put the water outside that way the food won't get in the water so much.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

something has been digging holes, at the edge of my broad beans, right through my parsnip seed row, and a couple of other places. Paw prints lead me to suspect fox. Badger is a regular, has a path that comes in one side and out the other, you can almost hear him whistling. When he digs though it is usually a single divot, this is like a dog would.

 

[Sean Regan]

'arry's 'ouse will be arriving later this week.

The problem is, where to put it. Ours is a small and tidy garden, no piles of leaves or hidden corners.

The only place it could go is at the right-hand end of these azaleas to the side of the patio.
I can put it hard up against the fence and encourage the euonymus to give it more cover.
I don't expect him to use it like a dog kennel, but I'll put some hay in it. He'll get used to it being there during the year with his trips around the garden. So he'll know it will be suitable for hibernation.







The wire fencing which surrounds this bed, is to prevent cats hiding in the azaleas and pouncing on the small birds that use the feeder on the patio.



"We met" around 8.30 pm last night on the path next to the shed. He must have been coming down to his feeder. He stopped. I went into the garage through the side door and when I came out a few seconds later, he'd turned around and was walking down towards the bottom of the garden. I went indoors and five minutes later he was in his feeder box. He must have come along the side fence and over or around the rockery.

 

[Logan]

That's great news about his house arriving soon, if it's just covered with some shrubs it will be fine.

 

[Sheal]

This Hare visited my garden regularly last summer and disappeared late Autumn. This last week he/she has returned. Not the clearest of images, taken through a window.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

My friend has a hedgehog house that includes a short tunnel to stop anything larger disturbing him.

Just looked back at your image, two rooms and an angle, even better. Maybe it should be pegged down though, apparently a few things predate.

 

[Sean Regan]

I've noticed that it would be possible for 'arry to squeeze under the tea-house in a couple of places as they can flatten themselves a bit. The preventative measures I took a few years ago were just to keep out the foxes.

At the moment, apart from behind the rockery, under the euonymus, there's no other shelter from the rain.
Now whether he goes under the tea-house at night, (he can't get under the shed) I've no idea, I did see him turn round and walk in that direction when we "met" the other night. There might still be a smell of foxes from three years ago which could deter him. Anyway, I've ordered a motion detection camera, I'll put on the shed covering that area and we'll find out. They are cheap enough.

I've ordered this one.

I can site it halfway up on the left-hand side of the shed next to the door. It faces the tea-house so the whole area will be covered.

There's a double 13amp socket. on the inside of the doorframe just above the middle hinge, so I can run a 6v DC supply to it.

 

[Logan]

That should be good.

 

[Sean Regan]

It was a golf day today, so I didn't have a lot of time to "do stuff" this afternoon. On the way home, in anticipation of the camera being delivered today, I stopped off to get things I'd need for the camera and hopefully 'arry's 'ouse if it arrives tomorrow. So I bought the sim card and batteries for the camera.
I'd decided to give the 6v adapter I've ordered its own socket rather than use one of the two in the shed that are for the mower/strimmer/garden vac. etc., so I stopped off at my local electrical wholesalers and bought a 13amp switched socket and back box, at a cost of £2.48.
So this is now ready for the adapter.

I put the batteries and the sim card in the camera, attached the munting bracket to the front of the shed and attached the camera. So we might get some photos/video tonight. I've altered the restraint on the door if it's open and the weind blows it won't swing back and hit the camera.

'arry was a naughty boy/girl last night, not only did he poo in the bird feeder as usual, under his feeding area cover and when he'd had his dinner, also in his own feeding bowl!

 

[Logan]

'arry was a naughty boy/girl last night, not only did he poo in the bird feeder as usual, under his feeding area cover and when he'd had his dinner, also in his own feeding bowl!

That's what they do, they don't care where they do it. It will be nice to see some pictures of him or her.

 

[Sean Regan]

Disappointing results with the camera last night.

All it picked up was "Cyril the squirrel" early this morning.

and this pesky cat.

 

[Logan]

Oh that's a shame, perhaps tonight will be better. Have you got it in the right place or should it be lower?

 

[Oliver Buckle]

You got me looking at cameras, that looks like a good choice. Thing is once I have discovered for certain what has created the holes in the hedge each side of the garden and worn a path between them I have a fairly expensive piece of equipment that is pretty well useless, I can't justify it on my income. I shall ask around, maybe i can borrow something from someone already in that position.