Animals in the garden, wish they would stay in the garden.

[ericmark]

Just taken him or her outside again. They get in through the cat flap, we have a chip cat flap, but they have found a way around this, they get the cats to bring them in, so the flap opens for the cat.

He is now in a garden box, with water and cheese, so he is out of sight of the cats, cheese left over from this one who popped in to see us a few days ago. Cats were playing with them, but luckily these were not too active, and I could pick them up and cradle them in my hand.

 

[ericmark]

I sat outside and watched him for nearly an hour.

He does not seem injured, but better outside than in the house.

 

[ericmark]

Sorry to report, it died.

 

[Odds]

That's a shame: i know where a family of mice live in our garden - under a fence post where a hollow developed in the concrete setting. Filled with moss, leaves and bits of bracken, it must be snug in there. Safe from prowling moggies and marauding magpies. I see them sometimes scurrying around the rockery, like yesterday morning when Mrs M. flashed across my eyeline on the hunt for breakfast. Occasionally i'll see the plants twitch and know she's rustling around in there. A harsh winter is their worst enemy, though. Then you'll find one stiff as a board, having failed to find any food, or one time frozen in the pond after missing their step. It's a hard liff.

 

[ericmark]

Sorry to say, wild life is normally brought to me, and dropped at my feet. They are so proud, I feel rotten telling them off and taking their catch back outside.

 

[Odds]

Nothing quite like a headless woodland creature on your doorstep to start the day.

 

[ericmark]

That would not be so bad, I can catch them, it is when they bring it in live, and release them, and I have a wife who wants to take the cats out of the room, and I know getting the animal out of the cats mouth is easier than catching it myself, and often they just act as pointers, to show me where it is.

 

[Odds]

lol - hard for a cat to kick the habit of generations. It's what they do.
They can't find 'our' mouse in the garden as she's so secretly snug in her hidey-hole.

It's frogs i gotta watch out for. Lit a big bonfire yesterday and, digging in the pile, scared a frog out of her wits...leaping for her liff down the path, she was. Funky little fekker must've cursed me sideways but i'm sure she'll forgive me when she spots a huge pile of hazelwood that remains, drying out ready for sorting.

 

[ericmark]

We have had frogs in the house, but in the main the cats ignore them. Also, they ignore hedgehogs, they will sniff around them, but soon give up.

Not had a squirrel yet, not sure if they could catch them, and as yet not seen a pine martin. Think they would be more likely to catch the cat, to the cat catch them.

I remember in the Falklands seeing the caracaras playing cat and mouse with a cat, with the cat taking the part of the mouse.

 

[Odds]

Had to look up caracara to find out it's a bird. A terrible fate for a cat to be harried by them. Do they understand irony?

I'd put money on a squirrel out running them every time: a tighter turning circle makes all the diff. - and they can climb a tree much faster. Still get tree rats round here but i haven't seen a hedgie for many moons. Not since people started putting up new fencing with gravel boards. I think they make them with a small hole so a h.hog can waddle through nowadays so hopefully they'll come back again soon.

Last weekend was 'dragonfly day' on my calendar; celebrating 15 years to the day when a huge green/yellow specimen landed on a rose bush where it rested for over an hour. I stopped what i was doing just to sit and look at a rarity. Took pictures, sadly lost when the website closed and my old laptop crashed, but the memory lingers, to be recalled on July 11th each year.

 

[ericmark]

I wake up to sheep bleating, donkeys baying, and tractors roaring up the street, real ones not the Chelsea type.

Not seen a fox yet in the village, or a badger, but you know they are around.

And of course the train whistle blowing.

But I miss the bus transport of the old house. We have buses, but not every half hour like where I use to live.