Not one but two hedgehog visitors!

Saturday night I was on my first hedgehog watch. Dusk arrived, the food, and water was out, and it was watch and wait time.

Sometime after 10.30pm I needed to head to bed, as I was so tired. So instead of watching from downstairs, I thought I would have a quick last check from the upstairs bedroom window. This actually gives a better overall view of the front garden as you are looking down on it.

Initially it all looked normal, and then I spotted a shadow. When the shadow started moving, I realised it wasn't a shadow but an animal, and actually a hedgehog.

It scurried up the side of a bed, and then disappeared but I didn't see it leave the garden. A couple of minutes later I saw another hedgehog arrive, it came down the path and in, and I was convinced it was a different one, as it seemed bigger.

This one also had a wander around, it focused below the bird table for a while. I think they like eating the bits of sunflower hearts that have fallen down. Then it headed into one of the beds, the one that is pretty much covered in plants. So I couldn't see it while it was in there, but I knew it was still in there because I could actually hear it snuffling, so cute.

Eventually it appeared back out of the bed on the gravel, quickly followed to my surprise by the initial hedgehog. There were two hedgehogs in the garden at once. I was delighted not just one, but two of these lovely creatures.

When I told the children the next day, they wanted to name the other one, Foo Foo, to add to Tiddlywinks. They are very excited and have decided they are a male and female, and that there will be baby hoglets. It's amazing having wildlife in your own garden, and for the children to be exposed to it.

Neither of the hedgehogs found the saucers of food and water, and we realised that we hadn't put them in the best place. So for the next night the saucers were moved to the corner nearer the bird tables.

So, onto Sunday night, 10.30pm saw the arrival of the first hedgehog, it headed in and up the side of the boards, straight to the saucers, and had some food and water, headed off for a quick snuffle around and then left. Over the next 45 minutes another two hedgehogs visited, all individually, so I'm not sure whether we had three different ones, or whether they could have come back. Do hedgehogs come back again in the same night to feed? 

I was also prepared with my camera too, and I managed to get a photo. It's a bit blurry, but you can definitely see the hedgehog shape tucking into the food.

While I was watching I also happened to see a fox last night too. I really enjoyed the animal spotting last night, there is something therapeutic about feeling the cool air, waiting, quietly watching, almost meditative. I actually think I slept so much better than normal as a result.

Hedgehog