Back in business

 I'd not seen a hedgehog at the feeding station since 12th January which means very little beyond the fact that I have to actually see the animals as I don't use a trail-cam recording system. The ridiculous conditions which resulted after the passage of Storm Darcy, over Thanet, would certainly be a factor in why a February sighting hadn't occurred until after the snow had gone. 

No hedgehogs - funny that? Storm Darcy visits Thanet.

I set up the feeding station on Monday night (15th Feb) and put out a small amount of the usual Tesco Kitten biscuits and a bowl of water. Absolutely nothing happened, I brought the food bowl back indoors at 05.30 hrs, on Tuesday morning, completely untouched. Undeterred, I repeated to process on Tuesday evening, post work, and was just about ready for kip (21.30 hrs) when I spotted the first visitor of February. I quickly summonsed Bev before grabbing the camera kit and slowly opening the study door. I managed to grab two shots before the animal scuttled away, "exit stage right"

With such a characterful face pattern this individual should be easily recognised if
it returns to the feeding station.

I went to kip well pleased with my sighting and feel sure that the hedgehog will have returned because the bowl was completely empty when I checked this morning (05.00 hrs) A hedgehog photo in every month of 2021 certainly looks a possibility now this image has been secured.

Garden stuff - no hedgehogs

 I've not seen a hedgehog at our garden feeding station since 12th January. What I need to explain is that I don't own a "trail cam" system, therefore I can only record those animals which I actually see from my study doorway. The food bowl has remained untouched, on many occasions, but there have been other mornings when I've discovered the offerings gone, or certainly very diminished, therefore eaten by something during the hours of darkness. Foxes, cats, brown rats or hedgehogs? I can but speculate as to what is visiting whilst I'm not looking. During this latest lockdown period the garden has been central to all my wildlife observations. The RSPB "Big Garden Bird Watch" providing plenty of opportunity to enjoy the other garden visitors. Birds have been the mainstay of my interest in natural history since the early 1960's and these current restrictions just help me appreciate the diversity of species which can be seen in, and around, the garden. Dumpton ain't the first place you'd think about when picking a wildlife hot-spot, but twenty years of looking have proven it to be a hidden gem? All of the following images have been taken whilst standing in the back garden!