Hedgehogs - Going Live!

I was very fortunate to go and see a live hedgehog recently.  This male hedgie is living at Cuan House in Much Wenlock.  Cuan House strives to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild animals.  They are chuffed when an animal can be released in the same area that it originally came from.   

 If you are interested in giving to a good cause, Cuan House does great work for the animals.  Think about giving to them.

http://www.cuanhouse.org.uk/

Cuan house is moving to a larger facility closer to the wood.  They could use funds to complete all of their plans, in their own words: Purpose-built hospital block with reception area, treatment room, separate rooms for the small mammals and birds and so on, not to mention space for bigger and better aviaries.

I'm glad  the flash of the camera was off, as this guy is wild and a bit timid.  The click of the camera gave him a start on one of the snaps.  Having said that, he seemed fairly calm overall.  Yes, he would rather go back to a good daytime kip.

 

Even better would be a release, but the weather isn't co-operating.  Snow in March and very cold....We need to reload Spring!

   

 

Much Wenlock, March 2013

 

 

The list of releases is very short right now. 

                                     

Hibernating animals in general are having a hard time in this weather. Waking up to extreme cold and lack of food sources.


                                    

Something I learned, also pertains to hibernation. Hedgies all hibernate differently. Most people think that they all go into a great sleep and wake up in a few months. The fact is some wake up and have a nibble and a drink of water and go back to sleep. There are different lengths of time individual hedgehogs will hibernate.

                                     


Some important things I learned about the plight of hedgies: In the wild, badgers are the natural predator, but humans are a bigger threat. The hedgies get struck by cars, and slug pellets left by humans get ingested.   There is little to nothing that can be done for a hedgehog that ingested slug pellets.  Instead of using the pellets, maybe do what I do when gardening.  Put saucers of beer out to trap the slugs that are eating your garden.

 

 

Some things you can do in the garden to help these creatures:

 

Solid fences and walls restrict a hedgehog’s movement through gardens. Make sure you leave small gaps at their bases

Hedgehogs can swim but often drown in garden ponds because of their steep and slippery sides. Provide them with an escape route: a piece of wood, chicken wire or pile of stones

Bonfires make good places for hedgehogs to nest. Check them to make sure a hedgehog has not made its nest before lighting

Be prepared to leave a small part of your garden to go wild. Long grass, log/leaf piles and undergrowth provide foraging and nest places for the perfect hedgehog habitat

Feed your local hedgehog, but please provide dog/cat food and not bread and milk.

Taken from the website:

http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/help-the-hog/

 

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Newborn  hedgehogs are born without spikes, but within a few minutes they start to poke out in white spikes. 

Hedgehogs -Part 1- A Coming Out of Hibernation Celebration

On one of my visits to Shropshire I spotted a hedgehog in the wild. Being from America, I hadn't seen one before.  Of course it was one of the rare times my camera was left at home.  Hedgehogs are noctural and it was dusk, the picture may not have turned out the best anyway, nevermind.  I have adored the little creatures ever since. It was autumn at the time and the hedgehog was rather sluggish.  I imagine it was winding down for hibernation.  He, or she went slowly on it's way, it didn't seem in distress, so I quietly said tara.... 

 

 

 

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Hibernation 101:

 

http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/factsheets/hedgehog.php

 

http://www.wildlife-web.org.uk/hedgehog/facts/hibernation.html

 

http://wormithedgehogs.co.uk/?page_id=65

 

 

 

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If you do see a hedgehog in distress here are some people that do great work and support for hedgehogs.  Why not give them your support?

http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/

 

 

 

 

Another place in Shropshire that provides for wildlife rehabilitation in Shropshire, including hedgehogs.

 

http://www.cuanhouse.org.uk/our-team.html

On the website it says that an orphaned hedgehog can be helped with £50.  The new babies usually appear in early summer.


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A Flickr group- I Love Hedgehogs:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1353775@N22/


An Etsy treasury of hedgehog crafts:

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI4MDc2Njd8MjcyMzgxNjY2OA/out-of-hibernation

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Hedgehogs in humour:

Liverpool

We arrived by train to the Lime Street station. 

A taxi ride straight away to Albert docks.

A stroll around for a few hours, camera in hand.

Ferry cross the Mersey, well maybe not, but you get the idea.

 







A few symbols of Liverpool, the Liver bird, a stylised sea bird and....

 Super Lambanana, this was designed by an artist to convey that Liverpool was and is a goods port....wool and fruit being important products.

Food of Liverpool would have to be Lobscouse.  A stew made from lamb, or beef.  It just so happens we are having that in a slower cooker today.

While that cooks.....

Four lads that you may have heard of came from Liverpool!  We went on the Magical Mystery Tour and saw the relevant places of The Beatles.

 

Ringo's neighbourhood from the bus.



Beneath the blue suburban skies....



The street of George Harrison's home.  I can't turn portrait style images on the blog at the mo.  So you don't get a crick in your neck, you can see the house on my Flicker site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chefmackers/sets/72157632963566898/with/8544011035/




Sir Paul McCartney's house.

John Lennon's house he shared with his Aunt Mimi.

Forever...

....Nothing to get hung about.

The final stop was....

The Cavern Club (more images on my Flickr site)

A short walk back to the Lime street station a drink at the pub and away to home.  A good day out!

The lobscouse is finished.



lobscouse [ˈlɒbˌskaʊs]

n

(Cookery) a sailor's stew of meat, vegetables, and hardtack

[perhaps from dialect lob to boil + scouse, broth; compare loblolly]

This is probably where the name for people from Liverpool came from - Scouser/Scouse.

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I have to put a Beatles song don't I?



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