Plant-Pot Dog

I know I am a sheepdog

but I am going to practise on plant pots

or, if pushed, yoghurt pots

Hedgehog report

With the national hedgehog population declining we have worked on ways to help it out at Gribin Isaf. Feeding of course, but also caring for the late-born youngsters who have not put down sufficient fat to survive a winter hibernation.

After various ad hoc arrangements in the past, last Autumn we insulated a shed, put in tube heaters and successfully brought seven individuals through the winter for a Spring release.

The drought conditions this summer have made things very hard for hedgehogs. The hard dry ground has made their natural food supply difficult to find.

Back in early July we found this hedgehog

underweight and dehydrated. We took it into care and it quickly put on weight.

We realised we had a hedgehog hotel with spare capacity so did let the local vets know that we could take on cases that were brought to them.

So last week we had a call and brought this home


weighing in at just 137g

It proved to be a feisty youngster, nipping the hand that fed it. Fortunately it was just about past the stage where it would need feeding through the night so four-hourly daytime feeds quickly helped it gain weight:

Tuesday – 137g
Wednesday – 153g


Thursday – 183g
Friday – 197g
Saturday – 200g

Very nearly a 50% increase in five days

In addition this hedgehog gave us the first exhibition of self-anointing we have ever seen.

Rain!

Rain

Rain

Rain

Rain

Rain

Rain

Rain

Rain

Rain

Never ever again
will we complain
about the rain
without it – insane

Hatching joys and woes

Over a month ago Cagney, our one and only Muscovy duck, went broody. At first we ignored her but after a while decided to let her have a go. Unfortunately she then stopped laying so was only sitting on two eggs. In order to give her more of a clutch we added some Cayuga eggs.

Muscovies are said to be good mothers and Cagney has been a conscientious sitter, just getting up twice a day for a wash and brush up. This is made more impressive by the fact that this breed have an incubation period of 35 days, as opposed to 28 for other ducks.

Three days ago there was a sign

and further investigation showed a Muscovy hatchling

We monitored the other eggs without much hope for the Cayugas as they were actually due several days later. Another egg was pipping, not the other Muscovy but indeed one of the Cayugas. It did not emerge easily – this breed seems to have very tough shells. We helped on three occasions and it took two days for it to get rid of its shell

So Cagney has got an odd couple

She is teaching drinking

and swimming

The Cayuga is not too sure

and tries swimming in the food bowl

Cagney’s other eggs have gone into the incubator just in case. This lot have just vacated that facility

Some bought in eggs – five out of six Marans hatching and a couple of Speckled Sussex.

We did have Jenny the broody hen also sitting on eggs but after messing around for several weeks she finally gave up

making it clear what she thought of her eggs

Swellings

Where we are in charge of providing water things are swelling

Winners and Losers

No rain for at least two months and it feels as if we are surrounded by death and destruction. So what is doing well?

Insect (and spider) life seems ok

We have heard grasshoppers in our meadow for the first time and it is nice to see Large White

and Small White

caterpillars enjoying themselves in the polytunnel
As, in any conditions, all polytunnel water is provided by us we can take credit for these swellings

but somehow the Runner Beans are sucking up something to start their crop

Having constructed a state of the art Autumn Juvenile Hedgehog Care Home last year we have let it be known we can accommodate the young hogs that are definitely losers in the drought. Today we have a referral from the vets

an active yougster

Two days into her trial, Jess reckons she will be a winner

Plus, the landing pad is progressing

On trial

good

good

ok

not sure

A space to watch:

work here is producing some welcome greens, which Dinah manages to enjoy while wallowing at the same time

Lunch today

includes our own bacon, radish, turnip, salad leaves, tomatoes, courgette

washed down with this years vintage

Meanwhile, on the opposite hillside, work to eradicate all signs of old hedge lines

Butterflies seem to be one of the few beneficiaries from the current drought. Happily we have lots of salad leaves available for the Small White caterpillars

Since the fish moved into the polytunnel

they have been demanding various devices that require power

so we are developing A System

Plus

Remember that the most beautiful things…

…in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies for instance. So said Ruskin. From time to time we flirt with the idea of peacocks. Meanwhile we have lilies:

Taking control of the climate

We had some rain today. After six or seven weeks without any appreciable precipitation there were a few little showers. It did not wet the ground under the trees. It evaporated from the vegetable beds before it could soak in. But it was nice to see.

According to the BBC, we only have to wait eleven days for our next drop:

The flora around us is shutting down – get the seeds done then give up. Fauna activity is changing – hedgehogs disappearing, badgers ranging wider.

By cultivating life in polytunnels we take responsibility for the climate. Here are some glimpses in the one we call Zenith:

Absent Queen and visiting Hawker

Bee inspection today

lots of store

but no brood.

We are worried we might be Queen-less.

Slightly cheered up by the sight of a new species (for us) of dragonfly

The Darter we have is characterised by resting on a photogenic twig but this Southern Hawker does not keep still so we just get a blur of green and blue