Land /Water Wildlife

I'm so happy ... we built this hedgehog house over a year ago and I've checked it regularly but no residents. Yesterday I peeped in the box during the day and it was crammed full of leaves so I set my camera up and at 8.35 last night a hedgehog came out, he then went back in at about 5.30 this morning. So so happy

 

I've never seen this before. Thanks to the summer without rain, our local pond has dried up to the level that fish are fully visible.

The pond (old mineshaft as usual around here) is a popular free fishing spot but there are now signs telling fishers to have a break, which makes very much sense as right now successful fishing could be done using a spade.







This used to be an island, Coots nested there this spring.



Quite startling.

 

I've just opened my back door and something moved. There was a big toad sitting just outside it that made me jump.

 

We have a regular family of raccoons that show up almost nightly to get water and dip their tidbits in the water supply. One little dude is becoming my favorite, he is super cute and just goes about his business. I have named him Rocky as he really enjoys his visits to the water supply. Apparently, in this image, Rocky found something so delicious that he is licking his hands.
I have found one downside to posting my images online, as once you post an image, its use is impossible to control. When I did a Google search of my images, I was really distressed to discover one image being used by a company that exterminates raccoons. I can not imagine what kind of people could do such a thing.

 

I just wonder if you could upload your pictures to a hosting site.
I'm far from expert at this but I believe you can add a watermark across your pictures which presumably stops them being used by anyone who wants to.
You then link to them in your online posts.

 

I can't imagine that either, especially if they are not pests.

That's a good idea - I also found one of my garden photos being used by a site selling plants and they had stolen my photo to advertise it (it was a standard Cotoneaster with berries and was clearly in my garden) . I wrote and told them I wasn't pleased, and that if they'd asked to borrow it I would have allowed them to do it, but since they'd taken the photo without my permission I asked them to remove it ... and they did

 

That's very worrying re the water level @Selleri. The north east of England seems to have had unbelievably dry weather. I hope that's resolved soon.
I agree with @Michael Hewett about the company using a pic for that purpose @hydrogardener. That's a whole other problem if they're doing that. I often see photos with that mark, but it had never crossed my mind about the use of it. I expect it happens far more often than people realise too. Glad you got a good result Michael.
I got very excited a couple of nights ago @CatDouch , as we seemed to have some hedgehog 'detritus' outside the back gate. I've set up a feeding station, but the big problem here is making them cat proof. It's virtually impossible, which is infuriating. That's the last thing I need more of in the garden. That bit is harder for hogs to get into the garden, and all the gaps I'd made were just used by cats, so I had to block them years ago. There's awkward places they could get through, where the back boundary and dead hedge are, so I might try the station near there somewhere. The food I put out wasn't taken, so it's tricky.

 

I uploaded a picture of my local park onto the Internet a number of years ago.

I was quite surprised to find it amongst others on a wall in the local shopping centre a couple of years later,it was one of the winners in a local town competition.
Of course there was no way I could prove it was mine, as any one could have stood in that exact position, but I was sure it was taken by me.

 

I have always thought they look slightly worried.

 

I am having second thoughts about putting a bat box on my chimney stack, after it has been repaired.
Bats are notorious for the mess they make in their roosts. My son in Canada has just helped a friend clear a derelict warehouse, he said it had been used by bats for a long time and it was a disgusting mess to clear out. There are strict rules in Canada about disturbing bats, as there are in this country so they had to be careful about when and how they did the work. To reach my chimney would mean roof ladders and scaffolding, not much chance of me making it up there at my age for cleaning. I am now eyeing up a large oak tree on my neighbours land which I am wondering might make a good site for a box for either bats or owls. I hear different owl calls and would love to have one nesting nearby.

 

I'm sure a determined hedgehog would get through your dead hedge @fairygirl This is the first year we've had a hedgehog take up residence; in previous years we had lots of gaps in our boundary fences and designated hedgehog highways but blocked them all up this year as we've got a new puppy and stopped putting food out. We also had a new fence put up but I notice the hedgehog has dug under it so when they want to get somewhere they find a way

 

I have been uploading my images for decades for people to use and enjoy under what is known as a Creative Commons License on sites like Pexals, Pixabay, and Unsplash. Those who download them are asked to give you a donation, or a credit line for using the image. The sites will not accept images with watermarks, or any kind of lettering. That said, I have found my images used worldwide, but receive only a small amount of donations, though a great many credit lines. I have since eliminated two sites when I discovered, after a decade, that their donation link did not work. It never occurred to me that my images would be used by someone who was destroying wildlife.
Under the Creative Common License, you retain the copyright to your image. No one is allowed to market the image and claim ownership. I have found a few instances of that happening and I took action against the infringement of my images. Live and learn.

 

Unfortunately, the dead hedge is part of a wider area which is trees, rocks and general 'stuff' @CatDouch , as well as a run of fence either side. I'll have to investigate and see if I can make a little gap where I have the leaf cage, as that's next to one of the fences, although I was going to move that to the other side of my parking area, so that it gets more rain into it.
It's hard to describe the site, but I was thinking earlier that I might be able to make a little space beside the leaf cage, or somewhere along that side, so that they could access the garden, but they'll need to get up and over the rocks, which are quite high in places. It's keeping certain other animals [people's pets] out that's the problem here.
Another project for me to ponder

 

This white-tailed doe was in a hurry to get to wherever she was going.

 

Mom saying: Don't come any closer to my kittens. Female Bob Cat.