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I was locking the garden door up last night and spotted something on the path that looked like a hedgehog I quickly grabbed my camera and took a snap.Unfortunately the batteries took this time to run low and the low battery warning came on,this meant the flash took a little time to come on again and by then the hedgehog had ambled off into the bushes. The photo isn't brilliant but at least you can tell what it is.I will be on hedgehog patrol tomorrow with fresh batteries.
This is the first time in three years the hedgehogs have returned unless this was a lone one just passing through.The cats have been showing a lot of interest in the fruit bushes for the last week or so,maybe that's a good sign because that's where the little spiky fella was heading.Hedgehogs are nocturnal and like bushes for a daytime lair sometimes burrowing a hole under them,this fella wandered off into the gooseberry bushes so he will be safe enough there.
The spines of a hedgehog are not needle sharp,I had cause to remove a cheeky hedgehog from the kitchen once and they have a rounded end rather like a knitting needle.
I do hope they hang around.It's no good putting cat food out like I used to, Ellen's cats would eat it but they pause no threat to the hedgehogs. Hedgehogs do pose a threat to snails they are a large part of their diet and I have a lot of snails so they can have a feast.