We were thrilled to discover a hedgehog visiting our garden. I discovered it quite by accident. I put some stock trimmings out for the Red Kites, Magpies, Jays and other assorted Corvids, and wondered what was eating it at night. Fox was the obvious - which there was one eventually. Now I put trimmings on a large plant pot tray, which I can bring in at night.
It turned out that neighbourhood cats were feasting on the trimmings, and much to my astonishment...a hedgehog. Seems the wee beastie has been coming into our garden for quite sometime and feeding on nuts and seeds displaced from my bird table. It also noshed on the meat trimmings.
Only problem now was how on earth was the hog getting into our garden. I scouted all round the boundaries, but could not find a hole that I thought big enough for a hog to fit through. Two weeks of dotting my three trail cams around the boundary finally revealed how the hog was getting in.
I was absolutely floored that the hog could squeeze through such a narrow gap. I was also aghast at its struggles and immediately whipped out my jigsaw and cut a wider hole in the side gate.
I also went and cut a hole in the back fence. It took the hog about a week to discover it.
I'd prefer the hog to use the hole in the back fence, but it insists on going out the side gate, with all the dangers of the road out front. There are sufficient gardens out front for it to forage without having to cross the road, but you never know with hogs.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
Brilliant footage, and screen grabs.
Nature when it needs to manages some intriguing feats. i recall a farmer I once worked for, one of his collies, which had quite a think coat on, became unwell during the winter, so he kept the dog indoors during the recovery period, only to find the dog kept squeezing out through the cat flap to join the others while he went about his daily tasks!
It was a sight to see watching the dog wriggle through a hole almost half its width!
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler