Our tiny garden plays host to a surprising array of wildlife, something we have actively encouraged. We've even provided a lido for the local birds - okay, it's an oversized blue ceramic plant pot saucer, but the sparrows haven't figured that out yet. In fact, they form a rather riotous queue on the roof of the nearby arbour seat for their turn at the weekly bath. Of course, they have to defer to the blackbirds, for whom it's less bath than bar, with the exception of the young ones who seem to take great delight in just paddling in it.
Come dusk the evening shift takes over in the guise of an aerial display by the local bats and a floor show by a small hedgehog. He's become a firm favourite, so much so that we've now taken to putting out some of the birds' favourite seed for him, as well as three or four grapes. Why we bother giving him so many I don't know. He only ever eats two, then stands on the rest. I'm not sure if he's trying to tell us something or if he's just clumsy.
Last night, however, just when we thought the show had concluded - two grapes eaten, one squashed, the other overlooked - a great disturbance broke out in the undergrowth. We fell silent, awaiting developments, when to our considerable surprise a second, much larger hedgehog emerged at top speed and dashed the short distance to the lido/ bird bath/ plant pot saucer. The monster hedgehog drank deeply for several minutes until, apparently satisfied, it turned tail and charged back the way he had come.
So, not only does our pocket sized garden support a cast of birds, bats and a small hedgehog, but it's also the watering hole of a monster hedgehog too.
I might be more cautious about going out there after dark in future!
No comments:
Post a Comment