Not actually in the garden but instead in my (Astley) house, a Silver Y moth trying to blend against oak doors!
Colin Broadhurst said
Sun May 5 10:57 PM, 2024
For years we have been waiting for a hedgehog in our garden....many houses...many years...but tonight we had a visitor
steven burke said
Sun Apr 21 11:57 PM, 2024
2 probably 3 hedgehogs in my flixton garden this evening, one making a lot of noise, nice to see as it's been a very long time since I last seen any alive.
Another good year for our garden Hedgehogs with up to three some nights but two being the norm but no hoglets observed, they have now disappeared with the last sighting being the 20th September.
John Watson said
Sat Oct 7 9:49 AM, 2023
I've had at least 2 Box Tree Moths sitting on my window in recent weeks. Culcheth, just outside GM
Steven Nelson said
Fri Oct 6 9:25 PM, 2023
A very tatty and barely able to fly Box-tree Moth found in my Irlam garden this evening was a garden first. An accidentally introduced Asian species considered a pest and rapidly spreading north and west after its first discovery in Kent in 2007.
-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Friday 6th of October 2023 09:26:20 PM
At least 18 Red Admiral butterflies feeding on rotting windfall plums on the ground in my Irlam garden throughout today. Constantly coming and going so could have been more. Often in skirmishes over the best plums. A really nice spectacle in the autumn sunshine.
Two noctule bats doing circuits of the field behind my Astley house again this evening from 20:05-20:20. I know very little about bats so it was amazing to see how large they looked and watch them so high in the air. Through the bins their flight occasionally reminded me of a Common Sandpiper (!) but their straight line flight and then terrific aerial acrobatics chasing prey was great to watch.
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Sep 2 9:54 PM, 2023
The usual couple of Pipistrelle bats were doing their circuits of our Astley garden this evening just after/around dusk and coming really close but slightly earlier, still in good light, two considerably larger bats were much higher in the air well above the tree line over the field and trees behind the garden (c80-100ft as an estimate) which were presumably Noctule bats, the first time I'd ever noticed them!?
The 'squirrel buster' feeders are no longer effective as they've developed a manoeuvre to access the peanuts by hanging upside down - quite comical as they look like they've been hung out to dry! (see pic)
Also in garden today :- Red Admiral; Toadlet & Grasshopper.
We have been lucky with a hedgehog returning nearly every evening/night and at least on one occasion Cath observed two.
Steven Nelson said
Wed Apr 26 10:00 PM, 2023
In my Irlam garden this afternoon: A male Orange Tip Common Drone Fly
pete berry said
Tue Apr 18 12:19 PM, 2023
First Orange Tip butterfly of the year in back garden, also a Peacock butterfly as well .
Also a Holly Blue butterfly in the garden this afternoon.
-- Edited by pete berry on Tuesday 18th of April 2023 04:29:04 PM
Tony Koziol said
Fri Apr 14 12:58 PM, 2023
A single Hedgehog continues to visit our Stockport garden nearly every night a young Fox got a shock on Wednesday when it shoved the hog with its nose and then leapt back quickly after a snout of sharp pricks.
Lez Fairclough said
Sat Apr 8 11:43 PM, 2023
The cat biscuits I put out every night are always gone in the morning with the tray upturned & the visitor isn't a cat either - but the local hedgehog which has grown quite big now with its guaranteed nightly take-away! - picture was taken with the security light on & not in the sunshine.
-- Edited by Lez Fairclough on Saturday 8th of April 2023 11:45:58 PM
Hedgehog yesterday at 21.10 had a drink and feed then wandered around for about 15 minutes, wonderful.
Tony Koziol said
Sat Apr 1 4:02 PM, 2023
A Hedgehog turned up in our Stockport garden at 20.49 on Thursday, lets hope they continue to visit like in 2022 and that the Badgers stay away.
Karen Foulkes said
Wed Feb 15 4:47 PM, 2023
This morning I found a Bat on the back doorstep.
After several phone calls, I made contact with South Lancashire Bat Group and a lady came to collect it early this afternoon.
It was a female Common Pipistrelle and was a good weight with no damage to the wings. Apparently it looked as if this bat had been feeding well despite the recent cold weather.
The bat will be released in the garden when the weather gets a little warmer and is being cared for until then.
Tony Koziol said
Mon Jan 2 2:22 PM, 2023
Adrian Drummond-Hill wrote:
Tony,
Badgers are bad news for hedgehogs. They've found a way to combat the spines, they flip the hedgehog on its back and attack the soft belly. I found one on the road, half a mile from my house. At first I thought it had been killed by a car but on closer examination there was just the outer covering left. A badger had eaten the insides and left the carcass.
I hope you get some back soon and the badgers move on.
Adrian,
Thank you for you reply.
Having spoken to several organisations it was clear they didn't want to admit to predation.
I also found a carcass whilst working on a garden not too far away from home exactly as you have described, just the outer covering. All very interesting as nature is.
Adrian Drummond-Hill said
Sun Jan 1 5:50 PM, 2023
Tony Koziol wrote:
A little summary for 2022 from our Stockport garden, we were delighted to have hedgehogs from March onwards with at least four on several occasions. We went away in September and on our return we sat patiently, dusk came and went with no sign of them, all of a sudden a badger (our first) turned up and this was the end of our hedgehog sightings. Where did they go, predation perhaps ?
Foxes are still regular visitors as are Grey Squirrels and field mice are often seen.
Common Frog and Toad are seen on a regular basis and in fact are in the compost corner at the moment.
During June I received a moth trap as a birthday present this produced a Poplar Hawk Moth during August plus lots of others that I was never familiar with.
Our New Year wish is that Hedgehogs return.
Tony,
Badgers are bad news for hedgehogs. They've found a way to combat the spines, they flip the hedgehog on its back and attack the soft belly. I found one on the road, half a mile from my house. At first I thought it had been killed by a car but on closer examination there was just the outer covering left. A badger had eaten the insides and left the carcass.
I hope you get some back soon and the badgers move on.
Tony Koziol said
Sun Jan 1 2:19 PM, 2023
A little summary for 2022 from our Stockport garden, we were delighted to have hedgehogs from March onwards with at least four on several occasions. We went away in September and on our return we sat patiently, dusk came and went with no sign of them, all of a sudden a badger (our first) turned up and this was the end of our hedgehog sightings. Where did they go, predation perhaps ?
Foxes are still regular visitors as are Grey Squirrels and field mice are often seen.
Common Frog and Toad are seen on a regular basis and in fact are in the compost corner at the moment.
During June I received a moth trap as a birthday present this produced a Poplar Hawk Moth during August plus lots of others that I was never familiar with.
Our New Year wish is that Hedgehogs return.
Adrian Drummond-Hill said
Mon Dec 26 3:07 PM, 2022
A surprise Christmas visitor. This hedgehog visited us on the early morning of the 25th. He's one of our regulars and proves it's always wise to leave a little bit of food out for them in winter. The last time we saw him was December 9th when it was -4 deg. He didn't visit last night, too wet and cold, he's probably gone back into hibernation.
https://youtu.be/kmJ2tyA_ou0
-- Edited by Adrian Drummond-Hill on Monday 26th of December 2022 03:08:23 PM
Steven Nelson said
Sat Nov 26 11:53 AM, 2022
A Ruby-tailed Wasp in my kitchen this morning and released into the garden. Not doubt the mild weather keeping it still active.
Ian McKerchar said
Tue Aug 23 7:58 PM, 2022
Sycamore Moth caterpillar on the wall of my house this afternoon. Stuck out like a sore thumb!!
A few Ringlets in the garden in the last couple of days. Top Dukinfield near Gorse Hall.
Adrian Drummond-Hill said
Sun Jul 10 11:22 AM, 2022
Karen Foulkes wrote:
A Hedgehog visited the garden last night, my first in the garden for many years!
Over the last week two Pipistrelles have been flying over the garden and a large frog was on the patio on Thursday night.
Large White, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral have been in the garden over the past few days alongside many pollinators which have also been present.
Karen,
If you have hedgehogs visiting, please put out a shallow bowl of water. They suffer in this dry weather and many get dehydrated.
Karen Foulkes said
Sat Jul 9 10:47 PM, 2022
A Hedgehog visited the garden last night, my first in the garden for many years!
Over the last week two Pipistrelles have been flying over the garden and a large frog was on the patio on Thursday night.
Large White, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral have been in the garden over the past few days alongside many pollinators which have also been present.
Steven Nelson said
Sat Jul 9 3:41 PM, 2022
2 Common Blue butterflies in my Irlam garden
Also last night a young hedgehog on the road nearby. I decided to move it to a safe location off the road!
My next door neighbour is having new fencing built so there are a few 3 foot deep holes awaiting posts & concrete. Anyway my 8 year old grand daughter Scarlett was inquisitively checking the holes out when she suddenly shouted "Grandad there's a hedgehog in one of the holes & quite rightly there was - it must have fallen down during the night. We got some cat food for it which it demolished (poor thing it must have been starving & could have been stuck down there a couple of days as I had not seen it recently as it always visits our garden at night). After its feed & sporting gardening gloves I easily lifted it to safety & placed it in a safe area nearby & my neighbour kindly covered up all the holes to prevent a reoccurrence - a very fortunate & happy ending for this endangered animal.
Great result Lez. Hedgehogs need all the help they can get, especially in dry periods, when rain is infrequent. A bowl of water in the garden will be very beneficial. We are lucky enough to get lots in our garden and have five camera traps around the house to monitor them. Two nights ago we released Tim, who we took to a rescue centre a few weeks ago as he was covered in ticks. They found he had lungworm and roundworm so they removed the ticks and treated him for the worms. He was back in the garden last night so hopefully he'll be OK. The picture of him was taken in the evening, a few hours before he was released.
Brilliant stuff.
We are still getting at least one each evening.
Adrian Drummond-Hill said
Fri Apr 22 1:23 PM, 2022
Lez Fairclough wrote:
My next door neighbour is having new fencing built so there are a few 3 foot deep holes awaiting posts & concrete. Anyway my 8 year old grand daughter Scarlett was inquisitively checking the holes out when she suddenly shouted "Grandad there's a hedgehog in one of the holes & quite rightly there was - it must have fallen down during the night. We got some cat food for it which it demolished (poor thing it must have been starving & could have been stuck down there a couple of days as I had not seen it recently as it always visits our garden at night). After its feed & sporting gardening gloves I easily lifted it to safety & placed it in a safe area nearby & my neighbour kindly covered up all the holes to prevent a reoccurrence - a very fortunate & happy ending for this endangered animal.
Great result Lez. Hedgehogs need all the help they can get, especially in dry periods, when rain is infrequent. A bowl of water in the garden will be very beneficial. We are lucky enough to get lots in our garden and have five camera traps around the house to monitor them. Two nights ago we released Tim, who we took to a rescue centre a few weeks ago as he was covered in ticks. They found he had lungworm and roundworm so they removed the ticks and treated him for the worms. He was back in the garden last night so hopefully he'll be OK. The picture of him was taken in the evening, a few hours before he was released.
My next door neighbour is having new fencing built so there are a few 3 foot deep holes awaiting posts & concrete. Anyway my 8 year old grand daughter Scarlett was inquisitively checking the holes out when she suddenly shouted "Grandad there's a hedgehog in one of the holes & quite rightly there was - it must have fallen down during the night. We got some cat food for it which it demolished (poor thing it must have been starving & could have been stuck down there a couple of days as I had not seen it recently as it always visits our garden at night). After its feed & sporting gardening gloves I easily lifted it to safety & placed it in a safe area nearby & my neighbour kindly covered up all the holes to prevent a reoccurrence - a very fortunate & happy ending for this endangered animal.
Tony Koziol said
Sun Apr 17 6:11 PM, 2022
Thanks for that Adrian, always good to learn new things.
Since our return from holiday on Friday we have had no sightings of the Hedgehogs but fingers crossed.
A couple of butterflies today, Holly Blue and Orange Tip.
One Common Frog.
Adrian Drummond-Hill said
Sun Apr 17 3:21 PM, 2022
Tony Koziol wrote:
Since the post dated 27th March a single Hedgehog has visited our Stockport garden every evening that was until last evening when we had two. Interesting behaviour occurred in that one appeared to get a bit frisky the other one was having none of it and rolled up into a ball. Mr Frisky ? then proceeded to roll the other one with its snout about two feet down the garden. Eventually normal feeding activity commenced.
We are guessing they are a pair and look forward to this evening !!
One Common Frog was seen yesterday during a pour down.
Tony,
It sounds like two males. They barge each other until one submits. When a male meets a female, he circles her, sniffing her out. She on the other hand huffs and puffs at him. It can go on for quite a while.
Steven Nelson said
Sun Apr 17 1:28 PM, 2022
Butterflies in my Irlam garden today:
2 Holly Blue 1 Brimstone
Kristian Wade said
Sat Apr 16 1:33 PM, 2022
Small White, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Peacock, Comma and Speckled Wood all in the garden today!
Tony Koziol said
Fri Apr 8 5:53 PM, 2022
Since the post dated 27th March a single Hedgehog has visited our Stockport garden every evening that was until last evening when we had two. Interesting behaviour occurred in that one appeared to get a bit frisky the other one was having none of it and rolled up into a ball. Mr Frisky ? then proceeded to roll the other one with its snout about two feet down the garden. Eventually normal feeding activity commenced.
We are guessing they are a pair and look forward to this evening !!
One Common Frog was seen yesterday during a pour down.
Originally posted today by Dave Steel:
300824....Irlam
2 Common Pipistrelle Bats hawking for insects over the garden
Large Skipper was a first for our garden today. Dukinfield near Gorse Hall.
260524
3 Blue Tailed Damselfly...a first for my garden!
Not actually in the garden but instead in my (Astley) house, a Silver Y moth trying to blend against oak doors!
For years we have been waiting for a hedgehog in our garden....many houses...many years...but tonight we had a visitor
Three hedgehogs in our garden last night.
Harwood, Bolton.
Comma in our Astley garden just now.
Another good year for our garden Hedgehogs with up to three some nights but two being the norm but no hoglets observed, they have now disappeared with the last sighting being the 20th September.
I've had at least 2 Box Tree Moths sitting on my window in recent weeks. Culcheth, just outside GM
-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Friday 6th of October 2023 09:26:20 PM
Two noctule bats doing circuits of the field behind my Astley house again this evening from 20:05-20:20. I know very little about bats so it was amazing to see how large they looked and watch them so high in the air. Through the bins their flight occasionally reminded me of a Common Sandpiper (!) but their straight line flight and then terrific aerial acrobatics chasing prey was great to watch.
The usual couple of Pipistrelle bats were doing their circuits of our Astley garden this evening just after/around dusk and coming really close but slightly earlier, still in good light, two considerably larger bats were much higher in the air well above the tree line over the field and trees behind the garden (c80-100ft as an estimate) which were presumably Noctule bats, the first time I'd ever noticed them!?
A 'Copper Underwing' on the fence late afternoon but didn't open its wings enough to reveal the copper.
The 'squirrel buster' feeders are no longer effective as they've developed a manoeuvre to access the peanuts by hanging upside down - quite comical as they look like they've been hung out to dry! (see pic)
Also in garden today :- Red Admiral; Toadlet & Grasshopper.
We have been lucky with a hedgehog returning nearly every evening/night and at least on one occasion Cath observed two.
A male Orange Tip
Common Drone Fly
-- Edited by pete berry on Tuesday 18th of April 2023 04:29:04 PM
A single Hedgehog continues to visit our Stockport garden nearly every night a young Fox got a shock on Wednesday when it shoved the hog with its nose and then leapt back quickly after a snout of sharp pricks.
The cat biscuits I put out every night are always gone in the morning with the tray upturned & the visitor isn't a cat either - but the local hedgehog which has grown quite big now with its guaranteed nightly take-away! - picture was taken with the security light on & not in the sunshine.
-- Edited by Lez Fairclough on Saturday 8th of April 2023 11:45:58 PM
A Hedgehog turned up in our Stockport garden at 20.49 on Thursday, lets hope they continue to visit like in 2022 and that the Badgers stay away.
After several phone calls, I made contact with South Lancashire Bat Group and a lady came to collect it early this afternoon.
It was a female Common Pipistrelle and was a good weight with no damage to the wings. Apparently it looked as if this bat had been feeding well despite the recent cold weather.
The bat will be released in the garden when the weather gets a little warmer and is being cared for until then.
Adrian,
Thank you for you reply.
Having spoken to several organisations it was clear they didn't want to admit to predation.
I also found a carcass whilst working on a garden not too far away from home exactly as you have described, just the outer covering. All very interesting as nature is.
Tony,
Badgers are bad news for hedgehogs. They've found a way to combat the spines, they flip the hedgehog on its back and attack the soft belly. I found one on the road, half a mile from my house. At first I thought it had been killed by a car but on closer examination there was just the outer covering left. A badger had eaten the insides and left the carcass.
I hope you get some back soon and the badgers move on.
A little summary for 2022 from our Stockport garden, we were delighted to have hedgehogs from March onwards with at least four on several occasions. We went away in September and on our return we sat patiently, dusk came and went with no sign of them, all of a sudden a badger (our first) turned up and this was the end of our hedgehog sightings. Where did they go, predation perhaps ?
Foxes are still regular visitors as are Grey Squirrels and field mice are often seen.
Common Frog and Toad are seen on a regular basis and in fact are in the compost corner at the moment.
During June I received a moth trap as a birthday present this produced a Poplar Hawk Moth during August plus lots of others that I was never familiar with.
Our New Year wish is that Hedgehogs return.
A surprise Christmas visitor. This hedgehog visited us on the early morning of the 25th. He's one of our regulars and proves it's always wise to leave a little bit of food out for them in winter. The last time we saw him was December 9th when it was -4 deg. He didn't visit last night, too wet and cold, he's probably gone back into hibernation.
https://youtu.be/kmJ2tyA_ou0
-- Edited by Adrian Drummond-Hill on Monday 26th of December 2022 03:08:23 PM
Sycamore Moth caterpillar on the wall of my house this afternoon. Stuck out like a sore thumb!!
Also at least 2 Holly Blues daily and an Emperor Dragonfly around my pond
Also a Comma was present yesterday.
Also of note, my sister has seen an adult hedgehog with two hoglets in her Audenshaw garden this week.
'Grey Dagger' moth that spent several hours on our front window today.
A few Ringlets in the garden in the last couple of days. Top Dukinfield near Gorse Hall.
Karen,
If you have hedgehogs visiting, please put out a shallow bowl of water. They suffer in this dry weather and many get dehydrated.
Over the last week two Pipistrelles have been flying over the garden and a large frog was on the patio on Thursday night.
Large White, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral have been in the garden over the past few days alongside many pollinators which have also been present.
Also last night a young hedgehog on the road nearby. I decided to move it to a safe location off the road!
Brilliant stuff.
We are still getting at least one each evening.
Great result Lez. Hedgehogs need all the help they can get, especially in dry periods, when rain is infrequent. A bowl of water in the garden will be very beneficial. We are lucky enough to get lots in our garden and have five camera traps around the house to monitor them. Two nights ago we released Tim, who we took to a rescue centre a few weeks ago as he was covered in ticks. They found he had lungworm and roundworm so they removed the ticks and treated him for the worms. He was back in the garden last night so hopefully he'll be OK. The picture of him was taken in the evening, a few hours before he was released.
My next door neighbour is having new fencing built so there are a few 3 foot deep holes awaiting posts & concrete. Anyway my 8 year old grand daughter Scarlett was inquisitively checking the holes out when she suddenly shouted "Grandad there's a hedgehog in one of the holes & quite rightly there was - it must have fallen down during the night. We got some cat food for it which it demolished (poor thing it must have been starving & could have been stuck down there a couple of days as I had not seen it recently as it always visits our garden at night). After its feed & sporting gardening gloves I easily lifted it to safety & placed it in a safe area nearby & my neighbour kindly covered up all the holes to prevent a reoccurrence - a very fortunate & happy ending for this endangered animal.
Thanks for that Adrian, always good to learn new things.
Since our return from holiday on Friday we have had no sightings of the Hedgehogs but fingers crossed.
A couple of butterflies today, Holly Blue and Orange Tip.
One Common Frog.
Tony,
It sounds like two males. They barge each other until one submits. When a male meets a female, he circles her, sniffing her out. She on the other hand huffs and puffs at him. It can go on for quite a while.
2 Holly Blue
1 Brimstone
Since the post dated 27th March a single Hedgehog has visited our Stockport garden every evening that was until last evening when we had two. Interesting behaviour occurred in that one appeared to get a bit frisky the other one was having none of it and rolled up into a ball. Mr Frisky ? then proceeded to roll the other one with its snout about two feet down the garden. Eventually normal feeding activity commenced.
We are guessing they are a pair and look forward to this evening !!
One Common Frog was seen yesterday during a pour down.