Hii steve if i,m not mistaken it,s a brown silverhorn

First orange tip butterfly of the year in the garden today.

The hoverfly Xylota sylvarum appeared in my bathroom this morning. First I have seen in Swinton or GM.

Steve

My wifes perserverance in leaving scraps of food out for the foxes has finally paid off with at least one regularly turning up for the food. There must be a good supply of food in the area as sometimes it will take a mouthful of food then disappear with the rest of the food still being there in the morning. Last Tuesday at 5am there was a bit of a stand off with one in the corner of the garden eating the remains of a lamb chop whilst growling at a second that was stood on the driveway.

Gary
I've seen a vixen carrying food a couple of times over the last month on Partington lane and Lawn Drive. I'll check her out for trainers next time I see her. Also I'm certain that a Fox dug out two of my Tomato plants from their pots last week then left a little deposit on my patio.

I have had to relocate over 90 adult frogs in the last week due to having to drain one of my ponds. Last night in the rain I counted 65 Frogs in the garden and another 36 in my smaller pond, plenty were females ready to spawn. As I have raised some of my fence base panels up by a couple of inches many of the Frogs have come from my neighbours gardens just to mate and spawn in my pond.

On my walk around Swinton today I found three fresh Hedgehog road kill from last night. With the weather being mild last night it was probably a good chance for them to top up their fat supplies but it ended with them being killed on the roads. No wonder that these little hogs are getting so rare.

Two Pipistrelle bats over my garden last night and sadly no Hedgehogs have visited my hog boxes in the last two weeks and none of the food that I put out for them each evening has been touched.

Only one Hedgehog has been visiting my garden in the past month eating the food that I put out for it. A bit on the small size but I should be able to fatten it up before hibernation. It has probably been the worst year for hog visits in my garden since I moved into my house in 1997. Hog numbers have fallen all around the country and they could do with a little help. Most large supermarkets sell Hedgehog food, it costs £1.50-£2.00, if more people put some of this food out at night especially at this important time of the year before hibernation then we may see more visiting our gardens next Spring.

I did a bit of a tidy up around the smaller of my two ponds this afternoon before the rain. In the undergrowth I found two small Toads and about 20 tiny Froglets, some still with their tails attached. In the pond were 9 adult Frogs and a tiny Water boatman which was the first that I have seen for over 12 months.

About 40 tiny Froglets have emerged from my garden pond over the last two evenings, some have been eaten by a Magpie. Also last night 7 Pipistrelle bats were flying over my garden for over an hour feeding on the mass of insects in the air.

Just had 10 minutes of horrendous screaming from the passageway near to home. Went to investigate and found a fox walking off along the passageway wondering what all the fuss was about !!

A Hedgehog surprised me by leaving its box in my garden rather early this evening at 18.05. It walked over to where I was sitting while eating my tea and had a drink out of the cats old water bowl. I shared some of my meal and it ate a good amount of chicken, bacon and pasta and then turned its nose up at some peanuts that I put out

Also seen;
2 Peacock butterflies
Large Bumble Bee checking out one of my old bird boxes which I leave on the patio for them.
Wasp
Lacewing
Mining bee [ I think]
Usual frogs and one Toad around the pond.

Two Hedgehogs visited my garden earlier this evening, probably the two that survived Winter by staying in my garden hog boxes. They have both started to put some weight back on especially the smaller one which was all skin and spikes when it first emerged from the box.

Dave Thacker wrote:

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I have had to remove more frog spawn this evening as both ponds are full of the stuff. The cats old water bowl, 2 water filled flower pots and a waterlogged area of my garden were also full of spawn. As there are at least 12 females still to deposit their eggs it looks like I will be taking another load to the local pond this weekend.
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I found two in my bird bath today! I'll let them finish then put it in the pond.

-- Edited by Joe Wynn on Wednesday 7th of March 2012 08:26:22 PM

Buff tailed Bumble Bee in my garden this afternoon.

I've just spent a good hour earlier this evening standing in my garden getting as wet as the Frogs.
Over 70 counted in my main fish pond and also11 more in the smaller wildlife pond. There are many more frogs, mainly young males out hunting in the garden or going under the fence visiting the neighbours frogs next door. I found a female Smooth newt walking in the grass heading towards the main pond. This is the only time of the year when I'm lucky enough to find a newt in my garden they just seem to disappear for the rest of the year. The fish are in a state of panic as the frogs tend to grab anything that moves while in their amorous state.

One of the Hedgehogs went on walkabout last night and did not come back while the other hog came out of its box and ignored the peanuts that I had put out and went foraging in the undergrowth and is now in another neighbours garden.

Sadly my 17 year old cat had to be put to sleep a couple of weeks ago so the Mice in my garden think that all their birthdays have come at once, there were 3 under the feeders and 2 more under the bird table picking up any dropped seeds and taking them back to the hog boxes where they have took up residence this Winter. One other mouse has fallen in the pond and drowned, this also happened about 8 years ago and my large Koi swallowed it whole.

A Fox was seen by my neighbour this afternoon. He found it sleeping under some rigid plastic panels in the small gap between his shed and fence. It was last seen jumping into my garden but there is no sign of it now

Also I have just noticed at least 6 pairs of frogs coupled up at the bottom of my pond Not long now to Spring.

The Frogs in my garden pond are starting to get more active now, I have just counted 11 moving about on the bottom and 2 more sticking their heads out on the surface. One of the Hedgehogs has gone on a walkabout, either last night or earlier this evening leaving the 4 Mice also in the box to fend for themselves. The hog in the other box is still asleep with 5 mice for company happily eating his peanuts.

The colder weather due this weekend will probably stop this activity for a while but Spring is not far off

Interesting to find four Slugs around my garden tonight. Also one of the Hedgehogs has woke up and had a meal of Cat food and sunflower hearts, its not moved out of the box but is just peeping out of the entrance

I checked both Hedgehog boxes in my garden this afternoon. One hog in each box and they were both fast asleep. Also in each box was a family of Mice, 6 in one box and 4 in the other.

Had a Hedgehog wandering around the road at the front of the house at 11pm last night (25/11). Seemed perfectly well.

The hedgehog that I mentioned in my last post has been visiting my garden most nights so it has given me a chance to fatten it up before hibernation. At 4pm this afternoon it was collecting leaves and grass and was enlarging an old nest in one of my hog boxes. I gave the hog a meal and also checked its weight [ 805gms] so it should have enough fat reserves to survive Winter.

If your having a bonfire over the next couple of days please check it over first before lighting it, many hogs use woodpiles for shelter.