Thinking ahead, I decided that it would be worth setting up an alternative position for the camera. Ideally, here on the pergola support post below the waterproof exterior power socket and the PIR security light. I could either focus it down the path or on the patio. I could have lashed out a few pounds on another camera bracket, but I've made one by cutting down an old strap hinge. Just need to add a nut and bolt. I needed a power source for the 6v adapter, so I've added a switched socket and drilled a hole in the wall for the 6v cable.. There's a lot of electrical stuff in the garage, shed, tea-house and garden, so I have to keep a check of what's what. The socket has been added to the supply to the outside socket and PIR lamp (black cables). The no 2 identifies which mini-breaker controls this supply. The grey cable is the supply from the RCCB that goes to the breaker that controls the power and lights in the shed and the tea-house. There's separate mini breakers in the garage consumer unit for the lighting in the garage, the water heater and all the garden lights. I had a check round the garden for hedgehog poo this afternoon, all I've found is this on the little wall, but it might have been a cat. 'arry is still avoiding the camera, it might be because he's very clever, or doesn't generate sufficient heat to activate it.
Nothing on the camera last night, other than me as a test at 8.30pm and a wood pigeon at 5.00 am. As I mentioned earlier, he may not be generating enough heat to trigger the camera. We've three PIR security lights in the garden, one on the side of the tea-house that covers the back fence, one on the corner of the shed that covers the small patio and one on the corner of the garage that covers the main patio and he's not setting any of those off, though I doubt if we'd notice unless either of us were looking out the French or kitchen windows at the time. Anyway, I've reverted to "plan B" and moved the camera to its new location on the corner of the garage where it can either cover the path or be turned to cover the patio. These cameras are more effective if the subject is walking towards it. So at the moment it's trained down the path. This was a bit of a pain to fix. The bracket I made from an old strap hinge is fine. The problem was finding a suitable nut and bolt. These cameras are probably made in China, so to US specifications, so the nuts and bolts will be American Fine thread. We've been on Metric since "Ted Heath dropped us in it." So I had a hard job finding something that would fit. An added problem is that there would be my exterior mains socket I use for the garden vac when I clean the patio, so I had to an install a little bar to wrap the cable round as otherwise I could see me hitting the camera if I yanked on the cable. But we're "all systems go," now. It's connected to the adapter in the new socket I installed yesterday on the other side of the garage wall. 'arry turned his nose up..... well probably used it to scatter them about, at the "Extra Selected Pro-Biotic Complete Hedgehog Pellet Food," I paid £7 for 500 gr. But he ate all his mix of cat food and mealworms "and washed his face" in his water. But it told me something, as I applied the well known scientific evaluation, "If it's hungry enough, it'll eat it," so we're obviously providing him enough to eat without the pellets, even if he's not finding much in the garden. Now here's something new. Hedgehog poo on the drive in front of the step to the kitchen door. It must be another hedgehog as 'arry can't get out of the garden so this one wouldn't be able to get in. "Perhaps it's his mummy looking for him?" It could probably smell the food as they have a "good nose." I'll leave some pro-Biotic pellets under the azaleas in the front garden.
You've probably spoilt him with the mealworms and cat food. One of our neighbours have lights put up and they say that a hedgehog sets it off.
I guess it's a bit like foxes, "our" cubs were seen locally quite often for weeks, but not their mother and none of the cubs came back to our garden.
Last night I waited until 'arry had finished eating (he arrives around 8.45pm) and disappeared, then went out to check that the camera was working by walking past it at around 11.00pm. I checked his food bowl and saw he hadn't eaten all his dinner. So I added a few meal worms. I checked the SD card this morning, the camera worked fine, but all it picked up apart from me, was a cat at a distance of about 20 yards at three in the morning. I checked 'arry's feeding station and there appeared to be a bowl missing. He'd come back and eaten the remains of his cat food, plus the meal worms and managed to put his food bowl in his matching water bowl. "Perhaps it was his way of helping with the washing up?" The meal worms I put out for the "other" hedgehog under the azaleas in the front garden had gone, but it hadn't eaten the pellets. I've turned the camera round so it's now trained on the patio.
Last night the food didn't go much so i don't think that they came, it was probably the little mouse that comes as well.
No success with the re-positioned camera. All it picked up was a rather wet "Cyril the squirrel," early this morning. But 'arry did arrive last night and ate his dinner and the "second helping," I'd put next to his "place in the country" (his hedgehog home under the azaleas). He was a bit later than the previous evening, so maybe he comes down that side of the garden and had stopped off for a snack first. He could be coming over the little wall near his feeding sdtsation, so be out of "sight" of the camera. Or it could be that 'arry's a different genus from others and is in fact, a "stealth hedgehog" and wouldn't be picked up, even by radar. The food I'd put out for the other hedgehog under the azaleas in the front garden had gone too. I'm in two minds about continuing to put that out as it may be having to cross the road in the night to get to it. There's unlikely to be any traffic as this is a very quiet road even in the daytime and it'd been crossing the road anyway, fo me to notice the poo near the kitchen door step.
He probably would have crossed the road anyway. Ours came last night, nearly all the puppy food has gone. They arrive from around the back, go across the lawn and down the side of the house under the gate. When we had to have the gate replaced I told the person who did it to leave a gap for the hedgehogs, unfortunately the cats can get through it as well, so I put house bricks there to block it off but i have to move them in late afternoon.
Despite me re-arranging the pots, there were no sightings of 'arry on the camera. Just "Cyril the squirrel" and a naffin' wood pigeon at 5.30 a.m. At least the cat didn't come this far down the garden. The rain early this morning has freshened up everything. But we saw 'arry in his feeding station last night and he was there from around 9.30 pm for an hour. He also cleared the pellets in the saucer outside "his place in the country," though I've no idea if he went in. Couldn't see any foot prints in the entrance. I won't post any more "no news," I'll keep the camera running, but I'll put it back in its original position on the shed. No visit from the "new" hedgehog, the pellets I left for it last night under the azaleas in the front garden were still there this morning.
Here they don't always visit because they have a lot of ground to cover and when it's cold or raining, they don't like the rain.
Finally! Some photos! It's about time! Hang on! It wasn't 'arry. It was a visitor. at around 5 am. For a time it was sitting on the scruffy bit of the lawn at the bottom of the garden to the left of the acer. If it's there regularly, it's probably responsible for the poor condition of the grass. On the videos it was looking to get over the side fence near the wisteria but gave up and went round the back of the tea-house, it was probably able to scrabble over the fence in the corner. There's the two parts of the old bird bath there so it'd be able to stand on them. I must say it did look rather scruffy. Nothing like our "Fiona" and her six "high maintenance" cubs we had under the tea-house in 2017.
