Animals in your garden

[Sean Regan]

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

Well, if it picked up Cyril, who is always a "manic mover" around our garden, it should pick up 'arry, who's about the same size. But it was just the first night, so we'll have to see how we go. The camera is set to take a still photo and then a 12 second video. Cyril was moving so quickly, that it just about caught him, that's why it's a bit blurred and there was nothing on the video, he'd already gone!

It shouldn't have that problem with 'arry.

 

[Logan]

It shouldn't have that problem with 'arry.

That's alright then.

 

[Sean Regan]

'arry's 'ouse has arrived!

For twenty-seven quid including postage, I can't complain.
This is how it came.

There are a few screws in it as well as lots of nail gun staples. But I added a few more screws to make sure it's durable.



The floor is very thin plywood. So I added a baton under the front edge as there was no support below the entrance.
I also reversed the lid as it opened the wrong way for where it was going.

I put in some hay and placed it on the paving slab under the azaleas.

I may slide a bit of polystyrene under it to give it a bit more insulation. I'll "rough up" ther area around it so it looks less like a "new build" and retrain the azaleas to give it more cover.

There was nothing on the camera last night apart from the same cat and the squirrel. The 6v adapter arrived and that's now connected. I've altered the camera so that it only records between 8.00pm and 8.00am.
But it might be that 'arry doesn't generate enough heat to activate the camera, or he's avoiding it by going round to the tea-house another way, or not going under it at all and sleeping somewhere else.

It's easy enough to remove the sim card and bring it in and stick it in my lap top, to download the photos, rather than connect the laptop to the camera. You'd only do that "in the field."

 

[Logan]

The ouse looks great and it's a shame that you couldn't see him last night.

 

[Logan]

Our hedgehogs had been last night and made a mess of the feeding station and the food.

All the food on the floor, I'll sweep it up and put in the bin

 

[Sean Regan]

Thinking ahead, I decided that it would be worth setting up an alternative position for the camera.
Ideally, here on the pergola support post below the waterproof exterior power socket and the PIR security light.
I could either focus it down the path or on the patio.

I could have lashed out a few pounds on another camera bracket, but I've made one by cutting down an old strap hinge. Just need to add a nut and bolt.

I needed a power source for the 6v adapter, so I've added a switched socket and drilled a hole in the wall for the 6v cable..

There's a lot of electrical stuff in the garage, shed, tea-house and garden so I have to keep a check of what's what.

The socket has been added to the supply to the outside socket and PIR lamp (black cables). The no 2 identifies which mini-breaker controls this supply. The grey cable is the supply from the RCCB that goes to the breaker that controls the power and lights in the shed and the tea-house. There's separate mini breakers in the garage consumer unit for the lighting in the garage, the water heater and all the garden lights.


I had a check round the garden for hedgehog poo this afternoon, all I've found is this on the little wall, but it might have been a cat.

'arry is still avoiding the camera, it might be because he's very clever , or doesn't generate sufficient heat to activate it.

 

[Logan]

It could be hedgehog poo.

 

[Sean Regan]

It could be hedgehog poo.

It could be, being close to the tea-house, which he might be under, but it's only "circumstantial evidence," we need a video!

I use those very shallow small flowerpot saucers for both food and water, harder for them to upend them.

 

[Logan]

I use those very shallow small flowerpot saucers for both food and water, harder for them to upend them.

I'll shall have to get some, thanks

 

[Sean Regan]

I'll shall have to get some, thanks

You can see the ones I've got in my post #737, they came as a pack of five from Dobbies garden centre.

 

[Logan]

You can see the ones I've got in my post #737, they came as a pack of five from Dobbies garden centre.

Yes I've seen them thanks.

 

[Sean Regan]

Nothing on the camera last night, other than me as a test at 8.30pm and a wood pigeon at 5.00 am.

As I mentioned earlier, he may not be generating enough heat to trigger the camera. We've three PIR security lights in the garden, one on the side of the tea-house that covers the back fence, one on the corner of the shed that covers the small patio and one on the corner of the garage that covers the main patio and he's not setting any of those off, though I doubt if we'd notice unless either of us were looking out the French or kitchen windows at the time.

Anyway, I've reverted to "plan B" and moved the camera to its new location on the corner of the garage where it can either cover the path or be turned to cover the patio. These cameras are more effective if the subject is walking towards it. So at the moment it's trained down the path.
This was a bit of a pain to fix. The bracket I made from an old strap hinge is fine. The problem was finding a suitable nut and bolt. These cameras are probably made in China, so to US specifications, so the nuts and bolts will be American Fine thread. We've been on Metric since "Ted Heath dropped us in it." So I had a hard job finding something that would fit.

An added problem is that there would be my exterior mains socket I use for the garden vac when I clean the patio, so I had to an install a little bar to wrap the cable round as otherwise I could see me hitting the camera if I yanked on the cable.

But we're "all systems go," now. It's connected to the adapter in the new socket I installed yesterday on the other side of the garage wall.

'arry turned his nose up..... well probably used it to scatter them about, at the "Extra Selected Pro-Biotic Complete Hedgehog Pellet Food," I paid £7 for 500 gr. But he ate all his mix of cat food and mealworms "and washed his face" in his water.

But it told me something, as I applied the well known scientific evaluation, "If it's hungry enough, it'll eat it," so we're obviously providing him enough to eat without the pellets, even if he's not finding much in the garden.

Now here's something new. Hedgehog poo on the drive in front of the step to the kitchen door. It must be another hedgehog as 'arry can't get out of the garden so this one wouldn't be able to get in. "Perhaps it's his mummy looking for him?"

It could probably smell the food as they have a "good nose."
I'll leave some pro-Biotic pellets under the azaleas in the front garden.

 

[Logan]

You can see the ones I've got in my post #737, they came as a pack of five from Dobbies garden centre.

Thanks I'll have a look.

 

[Logan]

Perhaps it's his mummy looking for him?"

No it's another hedgehog, once the mom has gone they don't come back.

 

[Sean Regan]

No it's another hedgehog, once the mom has gone they don't come back.

Sorry, I know that, it's why I put the quote in speech marks.
It's something I do, much the same as if I say, "I'm reliably informed" (a favourite expression of Ian Hislop) when what follows is far from the truth.