Last week I had the very exciting realisation that my hedgehog house was occupied by a prickly visitor! This, coupled with the scattering of hedgehog poo across the lawn jolted me into action, and naturally, I quickly went to the garden centre to get more dishes for hedgehog food.

After setting up the night camera in several locations around the garden, I’ve been beginning to build up a picture of how it is being used by hedgehogs, and the results are VERY exciting. Not only do I have one hedgehog, but in fact at least TWO hedgehogs, as caught on camera exiting the house on night 2..

After recording the hedgehog house I decided to move the camera to the main entry and exit point to the garden. Here I found a sneaky cat coming in to drink from the water bowl, but also a hedgehog (or hedgehogs) entering and exiting 3 times throughout the night.

Next I put the camera on one of the food bowls placed near my patio doors (in a bid to bring them closer so I can watch them from the window!!) The bowl was visited 12 times in one night! I imagine the colder night temperatures might be keeping them from roaming further afield.

It’s been great fun working out how hedgehogs are using my garden, and witnessing the behaviours of these elusive animals. Remember if you live in Ipswich you can borrow our trail cameras for free! They’re really easy to use, and I can even help you set it up. They are available to be borrowed from June – email now (hedgehogs@suffolkwildlifetrust.org) to receive a booking form and reserve your spot!