Thought I ought to make a note here of the fact that I’ve seen no hedgehogs since late Spring. I was so pleased to spot one earlier in the year after such a severe and wet winter, but haven’t seen or heard one since. Normally there are the tell tale sounds of scratching at fleas and rustling through the undergrowth, or leaving little black hog poo’s on the paving. It always makes me smile to know they are around and munching on the slugs, but now there are no signs of their presence.
We had a really hot dry 2 weeks in Spring that got them out and about and probably breeding, but I worry that the ‘2nd Winter’ that followed in May/June may have killed them or their young who were not in hibernation mode any more? It certainly affected my plants (with many of them having a second Spring just now).
Has anyone else noticed a decline? I’ve no idea how they fare with excess wet either, and we’ve had more of that than I’ve ever known this year. This has also increased the slug population so I imagine a lot of people have been putting down slugs pellets all year, which could hurt the hedgehogs too (especially if they are using older more toxic ones that have been in their sheds since they were banned).
I really hope they are OK, but I fear the worst.
The photo here is one I only got because one of them was unwell and was flopped out on the sunny path a few years ago in mid Summer.
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Comments
Orenda wrote:
I really missed seeing the “Mrs Tiggywinkles” when I came to the USA. There have been quite a few reports online of late, it is quite sad :-(
…………..
It is thought only around a million hedgehogs remain in Britain.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328460/Hedgehog-decline-300-000-fewer-Britain-decade-ago.html#ixzz1Z44TtoVt
Posted on 26 Sep 11 (over 1 year ago)
orientallily wrote:
Please let us all know if you spot any more. They’re such cuties and if they’re eating the slugs… great little helpers, too.
Posted on 26 Sep 11 (over 1 year ago)
CDfolia wrote:
Thanks for that link, though it makes for sad reading. I hope we see them back next year, and I’ll continue to have hedgehog friendly bits of garden for them to hibernate in if they turn up.
Posted on 26 Sep 11 (over 1 year ago)
CDfolia wrote:
ow get getting hedgehog nostalia, I remember as a kid we lived in a rural area and the hedgehogs used to fall into the cattle grids on the roads and get stuck. My Dad used to take me out to ‘help’ him rescue them. I loved that.
I also love videos of hedgehogs eating things like the one of the hedgehog eating a carrot while lying on his back in cupped hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw-IAYxu5uo
Posted on 26 Sep 11 (over 1 year ago)
Armorel wrote:
Although I did see a squashed hedgehog on one of our roads last week (bear in mind that we only have ten miles of ‘metalled’ roads and a correspondingly small number of about 400 cars), I can report that Scilly hedgehogs are around and still thriving. I see their hog-poos in our garden every morning :-)
Posted on 26 Sep 11 (over 1 year ago)
CDfolia wrote:
That’s great news Armorel. I’m glad I’m not the only person attuned to hog poo. I’m as delighted to see them as I am flowers!
Posted on 26 Sep 11 (over 1 year ago)
Tralamander wrote:
I have certainly noticed a decline. ):
Posted on 27 Sep 11 (over 1 year ago)
seeingreen wrote:
I’ve not seen one at all this year in the garden nor any signs either.
Posted on 29 Sep 11 (over 1 year ago)
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