Recommend a nature watch night camera

[Thorn]

She Put a bit of hedgehog food in a bowl outside the entrance
Bloody squirrels ate it immediately

I put hedgehog food out at dusk. The squirrels have gone to bed, but the foxes are just getting up. I put the food under a paving slab laid on top of a double row of bricks, with a small entrance. The camera has showed the foxes' sometimes-successful efforts at reaching the food. I had to put another paving slab down as a floor, as they burrowed. The entrance had to be narrowed. I stopped putting the food in a bowl as one of the foxes worked out how to angle his body sufficiently to get a claw to the bowl and drag it out.
You'll get a lot of entertainment out of a trail camera.

 

[hc25036]

If you can, try to arrange a right-angle turn to get to the food - the corridor to the turn needs to be no more than 8-10 inches. That will stop most foxes - we had a youngster that still managed to get in - and squirrels seemed not to want to explore.

Happy to post photos and details of our set up if that would help. From no sign of hogs on our new build estate (although it is in countryside) we get anything up to 6 or more hogs a night.

 

[miktec]

I have one of these used to watch the local badgers. It's basically a waterproof mobile phone with action sensors triggering transmissions. Be careful to set it up without waving foliage in front or it will eat the phone bill. I now mostly use it without the phone functions and just collect the memory card after a few days.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/37342685...d=link&campid=5338728743&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

Thanks for the heads up on this - I got one and have to say that once I'd managed to find the instructions online, It works a treat - simple to set up and quality of vids ain't too shabby
Despite their instruction to the contrary re. voltage, it does run on rechargeable (which saves a fair bit on batteries...)

Hope the vid shows but if not the flickr link should be there to view it:
Hog 07 by mik tec, on Flickr

(the vid quality is much better than the still frame above)

 

[miktec]

Thanks for the heads up on this - I got one and have to say that once I'd managed to find the instructions online, It works a treat - simple to set up and quality of vids ain't too shabby
Despite their instruction to the contrary re. voltage, it does run on rechargeable (which saves a fair bit on batteries...)

Just as a follow up to this - it has been truly fascinating watching the nightly catches and the youngsters growing.
We have at least four regulars that we identify by the light patches on their hides (possibly an IR artefact?)

So far we haven't had to shelter their food - only cats that have had a sniff seemed to find it repulsive and walk on .. no sign of foxes.

Surprising was how aggressive and territorial they can be on occasion - head butting each other out of the way.
Fortunately for the most part they just get along ... and get fatter.

Visits over the last few nights have been fewer and less frequent so possibly trying spells at hibernating?

Also unexpected was a recent morning visit by a sparrow hawk - who brought his own breakfast ....