Sunshine break for prickly mum

Jul 18 2008 by Michael Green, Flintshire Chronicle

HEDGEHOGS are usually creatures of the night, so a reader who saw one in broad daylight in a Mollington garden was puzzled enough to query it with me.

I contacted the British Hedgehog Preservation Society at their Dhustone base in neighbouring Shropshire where a spokesperson said as the hedgehog in question seemed fit enough as it progressed over lawn and patio, it was probably an adult female whose lately-born young were sleeping, allowing her to pop out for a look around, or find something to eat, or a game of bingo!

Reports of these prickly mammals are especially welcome now as here is yet another of our wild creatures in fairly rapid decline.

The society is endeavouring to discover possible reasons but such work is a slow and painstaking business. They can be contacted on 01584 890801, e-mailed on info@britishhedgehogs.org.uk, or visit www.britishhedgehog.org.uk.

More tales from the hills by Gill Isted of Glasfryn, Pentre, Cilcain. She told me previously about being besieged by parties of jackdaws and starlings as well as reporting quite a few house-sparrows this year, which is good news as they have been scarce of late.

Gill has seen only one juvenile robin this year, no young blackbirds but lots of happy baby blue, great and cole (coal) tits. ‘We see the adults feeding them and in many cases babies look fatter than their poor, hard-working parents’ writes Gill. ‘The joys of parenthood!

“Siskins come occasionally, usually as a pair, but not regularly. We also have a couple of goldfinches. Chaffinches continue to thrive but there’s a noticeable drop in greenfinch numbers. Maybe it’s because of the effect of the disease that’s been hitting them.

‘The ring-doves are back in this Cilcain garden, always as a pair while magpies continue to be a nuisance. We see the odd jay and have occasional visits from a sparrowhawk.’

Thanks for your observations, Gill.

Four small, scurrying reddish-brown mammals running along the side of a Pulford wood baffled a friend of local countryman Gerry Fair who hazarded a well thought out guess of stoats. I go with this as stoats often go out in small family parties in summer daylight. I watched a similar batch at Eccleston last year. Much bigger and darker are mink. One doesn’t always have time to pick out the characteristic black tipped tail stoat.