Things That Go Bump In The Night...

I had a bit of an exciting visitor to the garden last night.  It was exciting for the dog who alerted me to it by non stop barking, late!  I went outside to see if it was a cat or I half expected a rat.  I hoped it was not a fox as the internal door from the chicken coop fell off in my hand on Sunday night so the girls are barricaded in at bedtime until I can repair the coop.  (I will repair it asap!  Jeesh, first the sewing machine, now I will be let loose with a hammer and nails).
      I had my camera at the ready, always a great form of protection I think when your 'guard dog' goes off in the night, yeah grab your camera and venture outside.  I have the attitude that an intruder would have to be pretty brave or daft to choose our house.   I had a bit of camera trouble in the pitch black.  I took nine shots identical to the one above because it was too dark for me to see what all the buttons were on my camera and the flash kept being silly.  The shade of black in each picture maybe slightly different.  I couldn't see what I was pointing at in the dark.  I thought that taking photographs of chickens and camera shy dogs is tricky.  Taking photographs of nocturnal, wild creatures, late at night is in another realm altogether.  I think this one may have been poorly.  I also think the three times that the flash did decide to go off was not appreciated.
   

It is a shame the flash reflected in the Hedgehogs eye.  It ran away and hid for a while and was very still.  It didn't curl up in a ball though.  It was a big Hedgehog.  I wonder if 'it' was a 'she' and she is in the 'family way'.  Usually Hedgehogs are pretty fast this one was slow.  I put some water down and I put a small amount of raw beef down.  It seemed interested but too frightened while I was out there.

Very cute.  I don't know if they bite?  My Mom told me when I was small that Hedgehogs have lots of fleas.  It looks like it would be like picking up a cactus.

This is my third and final hedgehoggy shot, it is very similar to my first two hedgehoggy shots but I am proud  three out of twelve photographs actually included the subject.  The Hedgehog turned around and ran to the wall by the garden shed.  It jumped off the wall with about a half meter drop.  I did not know Hedgehogs could jump,  perhaps blinded by the flash, it fell!  It made a lot of snuffly, snorty noises, maybe it bumped its nose in the fall and then I heard it scamper off and rustle in some leaves.   Lots of slugs and snails used to live by the shed and I only thought the other day that they have all gone.  I think this hedgehog may be in residence rather than just passing by.  Maybe we could have hoglets in the garden.  The dog will love that.   I love the word hoglet. 

XXX