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[CLKD]

It's important to keep the area beneath the feeders as fresh as possible.  The feeders themselves need washing in hot water as often as possible, 1 of mine was thrown yesterday as it had that furry black fungus in it 

[CLKD]

Peregrine falcons in Stamford today 

[Two hoots]

Today is squirrel appreciation day 

[CLKD]

That'll be reds ....... 'cos I can't appreciate greys   


We have a redwing in the garden as an extra 

Hedgehog was out and about in the early hours   

[Taz2]

It's ok for the hedgehog to be out CLKD. Do you feed? Mine demolished two bowls of Mr Johnson's last night. They hibernate on and off so as long as it's moving well and not out during the day it's doing what it should. No Redwings here today.

[CLKD]

I tried cat food but the locals as well as the rat helped themselves  .  That Boris, he gets everywhere but not in my garden   

Hibernation means that animals go to sleep when it's cold, dropping their heart rates in order to survive.  That's why hogs require feeding up in the Autumn and won't survive under a certain wait.  Squirrels however, don't sleep continually. 

From YPTW - Winter: the hedgehog's food is in short supply during the winter, so it spends the coldest months hibernating in a specially prepared nest; this is usually at ground level in a hedgerow, a compost heap, under a thick layer of leaves or under logs. Before curling into a tight ball in this hibernaculum, the hedgehog spends the autumn eating as much food as possible to store it as fat which is used up during sleep. If sufficient fat has not been stored during the autumn, the hedgehog may die during a long, hard winter. Hibernation usually lasts from November until March. During this time the body temperature drops to that of its surroundings and breathing almost stops.

[CLKD]

From London wildlife trust


Squirrels do not hibernate, but they do keep stores of food to see them through difficult times when fresh food is not available. In their favoured habitats of mixed broadleaf and coniferous woodland, they have a source of food all year-round as pine seeds are present over the winter months.

Long words now, are you sitting comfortably  Obligate hibernators include many species of ground squirrels, other rodents, mouse lemurs, European hedgehogs and other insectivores, monotremes, and marsupials. These species undergo what has been traditionally called "hibernation": a physiological state wherein the body temperature drops to near ambient temperature, and heart and respiration rates slow drastically.


Facultative hibernators enter hibernation only when either cold-stressed, food-deprived, or both, unlike obligate hibernators, who enter hibernation based on seasonal timing cues rather than as a response to stressors from the environment.

A good example of the differences between these two types of hibernation can be seen in prairie dogs:[15]

The white-tailed prairie dog is an obligate hibernator.
The closely related black-tailed prairie dog is a facultative hibernator.

[Two hoots]

The squirrels here stand on the door step to be hand fed monkey nuts, I’m not sure how they trained us to do it but they get what they want 

[CLKD]

You would need two each, with carrots/peas/chips .......... the greys carry disease  which is killing our reds  .  Have you named them 

[Two hoots]

There are no red squirrels here unfortunately  but our 4 grey all look exactly the same so it’s difficult to name them  I like seeing them in the garden except when they eat the camelia buds 

[CLKD]

MayB put a net over the camellia?  They don't want to eye up ours  or it will be 

[Taz2]

Well mine have obviously not read this 

[Ju Ju]

Our squirrels look extremely healthy. They seem to thrive on feeding from the squirrel proof feeder! I blame my daughter as she released rescued squirrels from the animal rescue centre where she was a volunteer about 20 years ago! These squirrels are probably their ancestors! They do a fair amount of human gawping at us through the patio window! When she volunteered she walked around with a baby squirrel asleep in the hood of her hoodie, while working………in the enclosure not at home!

Evidence of the bats coming back in the main attic. Poop! And we’re found where they are likely to have got in. Can’t be annoyed as they may be responsible for preventing building permission on the field immediately behind us.

[CLKD]

Bats don't usually fly at this time of year, like hedgehogs they are supposed to hibernate.  They tend to move around in the Spring/Summer months.  If there is a smell, it's mice.  The poo looks the same as bat deposits.

If you get the Bat Man to have a lookC it may mean that house building will be postponed.  For a while. 

[Ju Ju]

Had mice several times before. They wear hobnail boots! You could hear them scuttling about. Eliminated them by having a tree close to the house culled, among other unsavoury measures. My DD’s partner is a forester and he keeps the tree in check, cutting down branches correctly and at the right time of the year. The bats don’t make a noise, and we don’t go up in the attic that often. Too cold. Putting the light on may disturb them. Tough. DH actually disturbed them in the other attic, which is connected to the main attic. They flew round him.. We’ve always had bats flying around our house. And we have no plans on building works involving the attic. Looked into that years back. Because of how the roof was constructed it would have to be removed! Too expensive. We keep stuff in plastic boxes up there.