Photos of a few Animals that have graced our garden

[4wings]

A couple of Pipistrelle Bats, that I rescued. Always wear gloves, offer water on a clean artists brush. The last photo is of a Pip hooked by a Burrdock, and there it stayed until it starved.

 

[4wings]

I had a spare chunk of wood that I drilled for solitary bees to lay eggs in, the uptake has been surprising. The plants in front are potatoes in a deep tub.

 

[speytime]

Is that vegetation the bee has filled the holes with, presumably with an egg?

Al

 

[4wings]

Is that vegetation the bee has filled the holes with, presumably with an egg?

Al

The drilled hole can have several compartments, each divided by a leaf plug for eggs/larva.
Usually we have the smaller carpenter bees which plug with clay but they are not very much in evidence
this year (so far?)

 

[speytime]

The drilled hole can have several compartments, each divided by a leaf plug for eggs/larva.
Usually we have the smaller carpenter bees which plug with clay but they are not very much in evidence
this year (so far?)

I've only just noticed a reply!
TBH I didn't know there were solitary bee's that layed eggs in that fashion.

Thanks Al

 

[4wings]

Best thing I ever did was add a pond to the garden and keep a selection of flowers with different shapes for different insects, principally bees and moths but we get Bee flies and Humming Bird Hawk moths and Bats the stars of the night. Infill building, big old gardens being sold off to put in luxury flats,
Bungalows, etc. have put paid to lots of animals that I had got used to seeing in the mere 35 years I have lived here. Recently the Green Belt has had chunks given over to development and the Green corridors that few people are aware of have been terminated by luxury developments, trees get cut down and the "contractors" cannot be found.
Any hoo! I shall take up my soap box and walk.

 

[4wings]

On a brighter note, we have a third hedgehog about the size of a large mans fist.
It tries to beat the others to the few cat biscuits and any sunflower hearts from the feeder.

 

[speytime]

Hedgehogs used to very popular in my area when I was a kid, now I very rarely see one and I'm out late at night regularly
What's happening to them?

Al

 

[4wings]

Hedgehogs are on the new endangered list along with Bats and Red Squirrels, Frogs and just about everything else. Fallen trees and dead tree habitats are cleared up in case someone sues the land owner so there are fewer food sources feeding on rotten wood and the bugs that live there.

 

[speytime]

Come to think of it I don't think I've seen a puddock this year

I seen a one off thing some 40 years ago with frogs, as I walked towards the frog pond (local name) there was an area of 4/6 Square feet where the frogs were hopping and croaking so the 4/6 square feet was heaving with frogs heads breaking the surface as if trying to jump out of the water, i was a regular around all ponds as a kid but only ever seen that happening once, I'm actually hoping someone can shed light on it or has seen what I described?

Al

 

[4wings]

Our pond was like a jaccuzi during the mating season with big females surrounded by and often already mounted by the smaller males. It was probably this sort of gathering you witnessed.

 

[speytime]

Around my area is moorlands for 10s of miles, most ponds and ditches are full of frogs and toads in the spring there's literally 1000s in the regular spots sometimes stacked 3 high on top of each other, 1 female with 2/3 males isn't unusual, however I've never seen them bopping/hoping like they were that day?
This could be totally unrelated but said pond was poisoned by the piggery, I'd expect them just to crawl out of the water if we're poisoned at time idk but it was odd?

I'm going to try find it on Google I can't be the only one who has seen this.

Eta... I've emailed frog life with my query hopefully they'll be able to shed some light on the mystery

Al