Our name is on the deeds but ......
Spotted this little hog scurrying across the lawn and disappearing into the Crocosmia leaves. I was so pleased to see her. She stood very still when we approached, hiding in full sight! I put a trail of cat food towards the hedgehog box ... hopefully she will move in. It is still very mild though so I don't think she will be hibernating yet. It is such a small hog it will need a few more weeks of good food to survive a harsh winter. Good supply of cat food at the ready .... hope the cat doesn't mind!
The sparrows have gathered into a large flock of about 40 in the hedge. They roost in the ivy growing up the house on the wall near the warm chimney. There is a steady supply of food in the garden and on the lane. They sound really cheerful as they squabble over access to the fat ball nets. They can be quite vicious at times.
We can't keep up with the demand for fat balls. At 10p - 15p each it gets expensive when you hang out 6 or 7 at a time but the view from the window makes it worth it. We could
make our own fat balls using seeds and kitchen scraps in melted lard but it doesn't work out that much cheaper and they tend to fall apart more quickly. The nets are positioned so that the birds are not in full view of the sparrowhawk or kestrel that patrol the field. That sounds a bit mean towards the predators but
we know they are clever enough to survive without our assistance.
