I had noticed signs of hedgehog in our garden the other day so David fetched his head torch last night at about 11.15 pm and peered out. Almost immediately he could hear rustling sounds from the direction of the back fence, but there right in front of him, under the birds' coconut feeder, was the hedgehog you see in the photo. I followed David out and took a few quick photos. My camera seemed to find it difficult to focus in the dark, so here you have one of the photos I uploaded (above) and one, originally equally dark, that I ran through Photoshop. The colours are a bit strange, but at least there is no mistaking the fact that the creature is a hedgehog. I failed to see the other hedgehog(s) by the back fence: there just wasn't enough light, but how exciting to think that our garden is being visited by these lovely mammals.
Some of you will know that the folk at
Suffolk Wildlife Trust (and we are both members) are wanting to make Ipswich the most hedgehog-friendly town in the UK with the help of their
Ipswich Hedgehog Project.
There are various things such as the provision of bowls of water or 'hedgehog highways', hedgehog-sized holes in fences that link one garden to the next, that will not only encourage these creatures to live in our urban and suburban spaces, but will also help them to mate, breed and multiply. Please note that hedgehogs should not be given bread and milk.
If you would like to be involved in projects to help our hedgehogs but you do not live in Suffolk, you will find helpful information at
Hedgehog Street.
As it happens (and thanks to the National Hedgehog Preservation Society),
Hedgehog Awareness Week begins tomorrow. Members of the public are being asked to get involved by spreading the word, contributing funds and helping in practical ways.
P.S. There were two hedgehogs again the next night ...
