Clare 🦊🦎🐳

@JulianThomas19 What a great write-up of a fantastic bird! The walk out to the bird for me was hard work as I was suffering from a chest infection. Luckily, a friend did the driving! I had managed to dip Citril Finch in Italy so it was a world bird for me 😊

On this date 11 yrs ago I left Portland Obs in a hell of a hurry: birdingtales.blogspot.com/2020/05/citril…

Dark-edged bee-fly from earlier in the week #wildlife #ukspring

@mickey_ratfink Wow! they are amazing!

Malaysia and Cambodia weren't for the nature sights, but these 3 Tropical Swallowtail moths sure were a fantastic sight, all in the Petronas Twin towers area, and as bog as your hand. Also saw 2 civets in the park at night by the towers!🤯 #mothsmatter

My first Wheatear of the year yesterday. It flew in off and landed right in front of the small crowd who were watching the American Golden Plover #birds #birding

@HedgehogCabin Garden shenanigans a couple of nights ago. We also have 4 Hedgehogs up and about 😊

Foxes may be seen more frequently in our gardens now as mum fox, who has been confined to her den feeding her cubs round the clock for weeks, and relying on dad and other family members to bring her food, is finally free to go out and forage herself. Foxes are true omnivores, so as well as small rodents and insects, their diverse diet includes fruits and berries. So mum fox will eat varied foods, as well as taking some home to her babies in the den, so they experience a wide choice of nutrients and tastes. Just as we wean our babies by putting the food we eat in a food processor, to break it down and liquify it, so she will chew up and swallow the food she collects for them. When mum arrives home the excited cubs will lick at her lips, encouraging her to regurgitate her liquified meal for them. Here you can see these mums are enjoying some halved apples I put out for them (yes, you know those ones we all have in the fridge, bought in a spurt of 'healthy eating' shopping and have sat there ever since). One mum even prefers the apples to the Bonio biscuit! Apples and pears are good occasionally, but dry cat or dog food is a great staple food to leave out as it's a safe balanced meal for every garden visitor, and will help stop hungry mums raiding the hedgehog feeders.🥰

Vinnie had been much more subdued after being duffed up a while ago. He's back to his old self 🙄 #foxes

It's always nice to see breeding plumage Mediterranean Gulls #birds #birding

Supernatural never gets old for me, it's such a comfort watch. I think the recent Andor resonated with me as well, and I'm sad it only had two seasons (but also glad that they didn't drag it out).

@HedgehogCabin That's amazing! I will make a donation. I remember seeing the desert sub species of Red Fox many years ago in the Middle East. Their ears were larger than our local Foxes. So well adapted 😊

This is a Long Eared Hedgehog, a native of Iraq. This dear brave little girl self admitted into the grounds of a charity animal hospital in Iraq, managing to evade many hungry homeless wandering dogs. As you can see, compared to our European hedgehogs they are much more delicate, and lighter in colour. Those huge ears contain a network of blood vessels which dilate in high temperatures, allowing blood to cool down as it passes through the thin skin before circulating back into the body. This incredible design helps regulate the hedgehog's body temperature, preventing overheating in soaring desert temperatures. The wonderful and valiant charity is War Paws, who care for and treat the forgotten animals of war. I've been advising the lovely Louise at @WarPawsIraq, and other animal charities in war-torn countries, for a few years now, and profoundly admire their extraordinary courage and commitment. They desperately need to build a new shelter for the hundreds of animals they save, and who have been dumped, so if you'd like to help a little, here's the donation link: t.co/zBkG24gA98

It's always nice to see Terns 😊 #birds #birding

Had some great sightings in the Forest of Dean over the weekend. I spent most of it looking for Boar. This is probably one of the weekend’s highlights. Fallow buck and a wild boar.

We now have two awake #hedgehogs #ukwildlife

Twelve-year-old Maeve Wilson, from Uddingston, took this photo of a vole nibbling a blade of grass in the snow in Glen Coe See more of your photos of Scotland in this week’s gallery ➡️ bbc.in/3OsI2rV Send your pics of Scotland to scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk

I have always dreamed of getting one of our birds retrapped in Africa. It has finally happened! We ringed this Reed Warbler on the Salisbury Plain in August 2024. It was retrapped this morning 4459km away at Kartong Bird Observatory in The Gambia. A truly brilliant record.

@HedgehogCabin Our first one is up and about. Plenty of kitten biscuits and water available.

It's official! The hedgehogs are starting to rise from hibernation. They will be weak, hungry and thirsty, and a little slow and disorientated at first. But these vulnerable little animals will use the last of their remaining energy getting back to the one place they trust will have good safe food and clean water waiting for them - you!🥰 So please have your dry kitten/cat food out ready, and plenty of fresh water each evening. It won't be long now, and it's far too early for there to be any natural food around, so your provisions will literally be a life saver. This is an ex-patient returning here yesterday, just after rising from his hibernation nest in the woods. I know he's an ex-patient because he heads straight for pen 5, the favourite pen for all the hedgehogs (I have no idea why, and there are 6 identical pens!). I know he's fresh from hibernation because although he knows the way well, he's slow, hesitant, stopping to smell his way. And I know he's a boy, because boys rise from hibernation first, about a month before the girls. They need this time to eat without distraction, in order to recover from hibernation and build themselves back up to a strong healthy state, ready for the trials of mating. Don't worry if yours aren't up yet. The later they went down, the later they will rise.

First #Hedgehog of the year at 3am #wildlife

The first Black Kites have begun their epic crossing from Africa, leading the charge for one of nature’s most breath-taking spectacles. They are joined in the vanguard by the first chattering arrivals of Barn Swallows and House Martins, alongside majestic groups of White Storks making their triumphant return to European soil. Watching these pioneers battle the winds across the short but challenging stretch of water between continents never loses its magic. From the low-flying raptors to the tireless hirundines, the energy over The Straits is palpable as the flyway comes to life. If you want to be at the heart of this world-class migration, there is no better place to be. Our Inglorious Bustards migration tours and day trips are designed to put you in the perfect spot at the perfect time. With our deep local knowledge of the winds and flyways, we ensure you have ringside seats for the greatest show on earth. Join us as the skies fill with life: 👉 ingloriousbustards.com #IngloriousBustards #TheStraits #Migration #BlackKite #WhiteStork #BarnSwallow #HouseMartin #BirdingSpain #FlywayBirding #SpringMigration #Tarifa #NatureSpectacle

@MarburyBirds That's incredible! you're so lucky 😍

have always made friends with wildlife. In the 90’s we camped 15 miles from civilisation in Greenland and I made friends with this Arctic fox! I have always seemed to have had an affinity with animals better than with humans 😅

One of the garden foxes eating his supper last night with a very vocal Tawny Owl calling in the background #ukwildlife