First Hedgehog

[Broch]

The Spaniel just found our first hedgehog of the year (despite being blind).

I'm a bit worried, it looks like it's going to freeze again tonight

 

[TeeDee]

I did wonder when they would emerge.

 

[CLEM]

I remember when they were once so common you’d almost trip over them walking up the garden path of a night. It was the same with frogs and toads during spawning season. How things have changed.

 

[TeeDee]

Something i've not really seen since Childhood is Fire flys. I remember evenings that that were extremely prevalent down here in the south west - not seen any forever!!

 

[CLEM]

Something i've not really seen since Childhood is Fire flys. I remember evenings that that were extremely prevalent down here in the south west - not seen any forever!!

Thin on the ground so to speak round here but then so are bees now, along with umpteen species of once very common birds, the song thrush, black bird, starling, tits, finches and in the last couple of years even flys. Yes even flys.

 

[Broch]

I think I've only seen fireflies twice in my whole life (in this country) - not sure why.

We do have plenty of most things here - frogs, toads, hedgehogs

What is thin on the ground are greenfinches (not seen one in the last five years), and snakes of any kind (not seen one in 26 years around here). As a kid I could guarantee finding a grass snake.

 

[henchy3rd]

I remember when they were once so common you’d almost trip over them walking up the garden path of a night. It was the same with frogs and toads during spawning season. How things have changed

Plentiful when I was a boy too &
I’m only speaking here from how my area has changed over the years.
Households had some kind of rickety fence in the back garden with holes & semi wild gardens,very few had a fence on the front, so wildlife was to be seen & heard with the keen eye/ear.
Then attitudes started to change, people started to buy their houses & having more pride..fences with concrete gavel boards & perfectly manicured gardens started to appear. Pesticides & fertiliser became the norm as we took pride in our plants & lawns & so the hedgehogs/amphibians environment started to diminish.
We have more chance of seeing a dead one in the road now than one scurrying around.
I can’t remember the last time I heard the mating antics/calls off a hog, like something untoward was happening in the urban jungle.

 

[Broch]

I can’t remember the last time I heard the mating antics/calls off a hog, like something untoward was happening in the urban jungle.

Most nights here later in the year - they are not shy with their antics that's for sure.

 

[CLEM]

Plentiful when I was a boy too &
I’m only speaking here from how my area has changed over the years.
Households had some kind of rickety fence in the back garden with holes & semi wild gardens,very few had a fence on the front, so wildlife was to be seen & heard with the keen eye/ear.
Then attitudes started to change, people started to buy their houses & having more pride..fences with concrete gavel boards & perfectly manicured gardens started to appear. Pesticides & fertiliser became the norm as we took pride in our plants & lawns & so the hedgehogs/amphibians environment started to diminish.
We have more chance of seeing a dead one in the road now than one scurrying around.
I can’t remember the last time I heard the mating antics/calls off a hog, like something untoward was happening in the urban jungle.

Don’t even see dead Hedgepigs anymore not round here and I suspect it’s largely for the reason you stated mate. How very sad

 

[oldtimer]

Very sad trend indeed' The next generation of children will not be able to share:-

Q Why did the hedgehog cross the road?
A To visit his flat mate!


I have seen neither a live nor a dead hedgehog for years despite living in ideal hedgehog territory. However, we do have a large badger population which may have something to do with it.

 

[bobnewboy]

I think I've only seen fireflies twice in my whole life (in this country) - not sure why.

We do have plenty of most things here - frogs, toads, hedgehogs

What is thin on the ground are greenfinches (not seen one in the last five years), and snakes of any kind (not seen one in 26 years around here). As a kid I could guarantee finding a grass snake.

We have greenfinches. Not in abundance, but they are visiting our feeders. I will try to get a picture. We weren’t sure about hedgehogs, but our trail cam did catch one on it’s way to our ‘wild’ section of the garden, late one night in the autumn. We’re hoping he/she is OK in the brash pile that is there.

 

[henchy3rd]

I’d be so happy with a uk garden like this.
Truly amazing.

 

[Broch]

I’d be so happy with a uk garden like this.
Truly amazing.

Incredible!

 

[FerlasDave]

I think I've only seen fireflies twice in my whole life (in this country) - not sure why.

We do have plenty of most things here - frogs, toads, hedgehogs

What is thin on the ground are greenfinches (not seen one in the last five years), and snakes of any kind (not seen one in 26 years around here). As a kid I could guarantee finding a grass snake.

Green finch! Flipping heck you’ve just made me realise I can’t remember the last time I saw a greenfinch!

I’ve seen plenty of snakes and probably even more lizards than ever in recent years though.

 

[Wander]

The last time I saw a hedgehog was a few years ago, and even then it was squashed in the middle of the road.
A live one? Phew, not for MANY years.
I remember, as a child, walking down the garden path one evening and seeing a round shape on the grass. Thinking it was a ball I went to pick it up and got quite a surprise. We then started leaving milk out for it.
I really do miss hedgehogs and I'm doing all I can to attract them on the bit of land I own. No evidence of success yet, but fingers crossed they're there and I just haven't seen them.

I've never seen a fire fly. Never. Don't know why. Maybe not the right habitat around here for them? I don't know. Just never seen one.

We had badgers in our garden only last year and they can make a surprising amount of noise.

Don't see many green finches, but see them on the odd occasion.

Where I live we are good for snakes and lizards. Plenty of adders and common lizards. Not so many grass snakes, but there are one or two spots I know they are present and have seen them on the odd occasion, and slow worms. Adders and lizards a plenty though. But then I do live in just the right habitat for them.

 

[TLM]

Green finch has not diminished here but yellowhammer has, house sparrow is being fast replaced by tree sparrow and many tits are nearly gone. The one fire beetle we have stays on the ground and I have not noticed much difference, the yearly changes are large anyway.

 

[Wander]

Yellowhammers, that's a good one. Seen a rise in those over the last couple of years. Hardly abundant, but more than their used to be.
Oddly, I've noticed an increase in tits, particularly blue tits and coal tits.

 

[TLM]

Blue tit and coal tit are ok here it is willow tit that is actually almost endangered here.

 

[henchy3rd]

Something i've not really seen since Childhood is Fire flys. I remember evenings that that were extremely prevalent down here in the south west - not seen any forever!!

Fireflies are very sensitive at re-colonising sites if they’ve been interfered with by humans or cattle.(hence why you can find them on railway embankments).
They also prefer south facing grassy banks/ tree or shrub lined steep hills.
We did a firefly/glow worm environmental study in the lower Peak District where they are known to be, but came back empty handed.
It was a warm June/July evening so the conditions were right & even had a green LED light to mimic, yet still nothing?

 

[robur]

Something i've not really seen since Childhood is Fire flys. I remember evenings that that were extremely prevalent down here in the south west - not seen any forever!!

Badgers and cats .