Here's another baby hedgehog, spotted drinking water in the early hours of Saturday morning. Photos taken through the cat flap.
I fancied I saw this little hog the previous night on top of the secondary feeding station at the bottom of the garden. I'd heard that hedgehogs could climb, but had never before seen any evidence of this.
Last night Elsa was being fussy and turned her nose up at the cat food I put down for her, so rather than let it go to waste I put it outside for the hedgehogs. Of course, then she wanted it, and appeared in the photo captures throughout the night. It was almost as if she was guarding the food from the hedgehogs. Despite that, there were plenty of hedgehog visitors, including the baby.
I saw the baby hedgehog and brought him inside quickly so I could see if he was the same hedgehog and also to see what his condition was like.
Hedgehog spines. I've never previously seen any loose spines like this. Does anyone know if hedgehogs naturally shed their spines? I wondered if perhaps there'd been a bit of an altercation between two hogs in the feeding station, although there was no blood. I also think the spines were too long to have been the baby's.
It's been over a week since my last post so I think it's time for an update. Elsa only stayed overnight at the vets. I had a phone call in the morning to say that her temperature had dropped, that she was eating, that she was even being a bit feisty and that I could collect her. So, I brought her home and she has been back to her old self again.
Last night must have been the hottest night of the year - at least here. There was one hedgehog that was flaked out asleep at the foot of the hedge for at least an hour. In the above photo, we see the baby hedgehog sitting in the food bowl. I'm afraid I haven't been able to get him to a wildlife rescue centre yet. Unfortunately, my cat Elsa is very sick at the moment and is currently at the vets being treated where she can be under observation. I've had to put Elsa's welfare first. I'm hoping to get her back home tomorrow. Once I know she is alright, then I can turn my attention to the little baby hog. I will try to get him to a wildlife rescue centre in the next few days - please do not think I have forgotten him.
After your comments on my previous post about the baby hedgehog, I decided tonight that I needed to take a closer look at him. So, I waited quietly in the garden for a few minutes and he soon turned up. I picked him up and brought him into the house.
As you can see from these photos he does seem to be having a problem losing his spines. I'm reminded of Spud the hedgehog who lost all his spines and was treated at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital.
Anyway, this poor little hog also had a nasty big tick behind his right ear, so I figured the least I could do for him was to remove it (using a Tick Twister). I then let him loose out in the garden again. If I need to capture him again, it should be easy enough as he is a regular visitor. Tomorrow I shall make enquiries.
Today, as part of my personal fitness programme I cycled from Didcot to Oxford and then back again. Along the journey I saw a lot of wildlife, although most of it moves too fast to be able to photograph. I did manage to get a shot of this young rabbit (above).
Unfortunately, on the way home I found this woodpecker lying on the path. It was an isolated path through trees with no buildings and no traffic, so it seemed very weird to find it there on the ground like that. I wasn't sure if it was just stunned or dead, so I picked it up. It was still warm, so I guess the accident had only just happened. I put the poor thing on a log surrounded by ivy away from the path. Sadly, I think it was dead.
Before I show you the pick of last night's infra-red photos, I want to show you the above picture of the baby hedgehog that has been visiting. Now, last night Elsa got a little over-excited watching the hedgehogs; I went outside to find she had cornered the baby, who was looking a little worried. I don't think Elsa would have hurt him; I think she was just in a playful mood. Anyway, I took her inside the house and gave the baby a handful of mealworms after taking a couple of colour photos, and he was soon eating them up and looking much happier.
There was such a lot of hedgehog activity captured on the camera last night (as still photos) that the best way to show it to you is in the form of another slideshow video:
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