[tosca100]

Erm...can I join in? Not totally relevent to GB I suppose, but we do have similar animals and plants.

Of course you can 

Looking forward to that Tosca - already enjoy your bird pics and stories.

Saw a couple of common seals playing in the sea - they seem to enjoy it when the sea is really rough.

Thank you. We have started to get our eye in as regards wildlife in and around the village, but photos can be difficult as hunters tend to shoot at anything and everything which makes for skittish wild animals. We have pine martens both sides, but hoping we don't see them in our garden even though they make a noise in summer and leave a 'calling card' at the gate. We have snakes and foxes too. Around the village there are deer and jackal, hares and many different birds of prey, including eagles and goshawk. The squirrels are like red in shape and ear tufts, but they are black and much bigger.

It all tends to make you a bit paranoid about your chickens. But one little chap has made one of the compost heaps his hibernation nest of choice and was lucky that OH didn't spear him while tidying ready to put some sides up, a job which will have to wait till spring now. Quick photo call and it was back into the warm and covered up before waking.

[Springlands]

You have just made me very jealous Tosca - I have never seen a hog in my garden - but live in hope. 

[tosca100]

Me neither, I was all of a flutter at seeing it.....

[allotmentann]

Beautiful. I have had hedgehogs a few times, but it has been a long while since I last saw one. I have certainly never got so close. You are so lucky to be surrounded by so much wildlife.   

[devonbarmygardener]

We had a hedgehog in our garden this autumn which is amazing as I didn't think we had any gaps in the fencing that they could get through

[Trillium]

Aw, that is so cute, Tosca. It's very lucky it didn't get speared.

[allotmentann]

My first Snowdrops are bravely poking through, it is always so lovely when those white petals start to show. Especially as it has been sleeting and half heartedly snowing. However cold it may yet get, spring is on the way! 

[tosca100]

My first Snowdrops are bravely poking through, it is always so lovely when those white petals start to show. Especially as it has been sleeting and half heartedly snowing. However cold it may yet get, spring is on the way! 

We had a few come up too, only short, but now they are covered with 18 inches of snow! Hope they are still there when the snow melts.

[Goosegirl]

My first Snowdrops are bravely poking through, it is always so lovely when those white petals start to show. Especially as it has been sleeting and half heartedly snowing. However cold it may yet get, spring is on the way! 

Today I have just seen the first snowdrop flower buds - oh deepjoy!

[allotmentann]

  Deep joy is exactly right! 

[devonbarmygardener]

My daffs have been out for nearly a week now, but thats late compared to previous years for my sheltered front bed. Lovely to see them blooming though

[3 allotments]

How excited i was today as i walking to the pt next to my pallet compost  heap  there he was a small (twice the size of a tennis ball ) hedgehog he just stopped and looked at me then curled up he must have  a nest under the bottom pallet  so i rolled him back under i thought they were in hibernation at this time of year, hope it dosent die with this horrible weather coming in 

[devonbarmygardener]

Parents garden was full of wildlife and their garden is tiny!
Grey squirrel,  half a dozen blue tits, a dozen starlings,  a dozen sparrows,  a couple of great tits all sharing the fat balls and peanuts!

[Springlands]

How excited i was today as i walking to the pt next to my pallet compost  heap  there he was a small (twice the size of a tennis ball ) hedgehog he just stopped and looked at me then curled up he must have  a nest under the bottom pallet  so i rolled him back under i thought they were in hibernation at this time of year, hope it dosent die with this horrible weather coming in 

They do wake up now and again though the winter - so hopefully s/he should be OK.

[mumofstig]

There was a little grey squirrel scampering up and down the rose arch trellis this morning - I know they're not good for quite a few reasons - but they are pretty to see