Introducing Spike

[Suninfrance]

This is Spike (original name huh!)  Found wandering around our garden the other day.  Actually there were three of them, but it seems we no only have one.  I found one seemingly dead on the path yesterday afternoon, so I picked it up and placed it under cover of the ferns, but it wasn't there this morning. 

Anyway - Spike likes a rummage in the grass and loves cat bics.  I know this because I found him sitting in the bowl of biscuits I had put out for the wild cat the other evening and he was having a right old feast.

[IMG]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/suninfrance/Spike.jpg[/IMG]

BTW - we are talking no bigger than a tennis ball when rolled up.

Jan

[Ian]

Brilliant picture - I spent about 10 minutes in the car yesterday evening while a hedgehog dithered about whether it wanted to cross the road, stay where it was or walk up the middle of the road!

[Suninfrance]

I usually have a thick pair of gardening gloves in the car - you know - the ones for pruning roses, so if in that situation, I can just nip out of the car and assist it into the nearest leafy ditch.

There are so many "roadkills" around our way - it makes me really sad. 

We did stop on the way home the other night to let two badgers cross.  They too were dithering, but I don't think the gardening gloves would have helped in that situation - lol.  Saw them safely to the other side though, then carried on with our journey.

Not to mention the daft Hoopoe that wandered in front of the car earlier in the year, then proceeded to walk up the road in front of us for about half a km.  I thought they were supposed to be shy and nervous birds, but this one sauntered up the road like there wasn't a large metal object on wheels up it's backside.

Don't you just love nature.

[Rob Roy]

There do seem to be a lot more dead hedgehogs on the roads this year. I have wondered if that bears any relation to the apparent increase in slugs and snails around here - my poor hostas have never looked so decimated![:(]

 

[Suninfrance]

Could have a point there RR.  Don't recall seeing many dead slugs on the road though.  I have never seen so many large, squidgy, orange things - yuk.  Like you my hostas look like lace curtains and most of my veg plot has been "slimed" this year.

[londoneye]

He/she is gorgeous.    Our hedgehogs seem to have disappeared.   Last summer we used to love sitting at dusk watching them parade aross the garden in front of us.   This year no sign; no sign of my neighbour's family of hedgehogs either.

Sorry, not entirely true, found one (or the dog did) in the hole dug for the swimming pool and took him/her out and deposited in the place where they used to live.   I know he was ok because I sat and watched until he unrolled and trundled further into bush, but that was months ago, and not been seen since.   Such a shame.