Ann Middleton

I have no garden so garden where I can, love seed bombing. My bike keeps me sane.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

#WorldAnimalsDay
#bestbedinthehouse
#dove
#lockdownlily

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@Sam_SSSLearning @GardensHour Their nests are so beautifully made, a complete artwork to look at as well.

[Hedgehog Cabin @HedgehogCabin]

Sometimes words alone aren't enough.
The calls just keep coming, the suffering continues, and this needs to be made abundantly clear:
ANY hedgehog out in the open in the day is seriously ill and needs to be taken *to a rescue*, never a vet, urgently.
You CAN NOT just keep them.
I take phone calls every single day from people who have seen a hedgehog out in the day (mostly babies this time of year) and have taken them in and 'cared for' them, and are ringing me 2 or 3 days later asking why they aren't moving any more, or are crying.
Typically, a lady who called this morning saw a baby hedgehog out in the day yesterday, covered in flies.
She said she picked the fly eggs off and kept this baby in a nice warm box but is worried today that he seems sluggish.
That's because he was already deathly ill and in terrible pain when she found him.
The flies knew he was close to death so they laid their eggs on him, so that when the maggots hatched they'd have a nice fresh meal.
And, as I explained to this lady, that's exactly what they would be doing now - the eggs she didn't see, in his ears, eyes, nose, mouth and genitals - would be eating him alive now, from the inside.
He would be in agony.
Flies are capable of forcing inside the as yet unopened eyelids of babies and laying eggs there. The damage the maggots do when they hatch is catastrophic.
It really is critical that there is no ambiguity about this:
If you see a hedgehog out in the open in the day, grab her, then ring a good rescue who will ask all the right questions and triage the situation, and give you advice.
Below are two images of the same baby hedgehog, ten minutes apart.
The photo is as she was admitted, looking cute and fine, with all the visible fly eggs picked off.
The video is the same baby after I'd applied a substance that irritates maggots and makes them come out from inside their victim's bodily orifices.
The substance is very toxic and must be very carefully and sparingly applied by a knowledgeable and experienced rescue.
This little girl was treated successfully and is now thriving; growing so well she may even be able to be released back to the wild to hibernate this year.
She's a lucky one, as she was brought to the right place. Many aren't this lucky and die horribly.
I beg you, please be their ambulance, not their jailor.

[Hedgehog Cabin @HedgehogCabin]

This poor little girl is Inca.
Inca is an adult female, so should weigh around a kilo. But she is starved, absolutely emaciated, and weighs only 509g.
Have you noticed there are no butterflies this year? We've destroyed their habitat so they are in critical decline.
Devastating news for the hedgehog, as caterpillars make up almost half of their diet.
Inca was found out on the road, in a pool of blood.
Her finder was just setting off for work, but had the compassion to stop and check, and saw that Inca was still breathing, so called me.
The blood is coming from her nose, and as she lay there helpless, a bird has pecked at her eye, trying to predate her alive.
This poor little animal should be fat and flourishing now, in traditional peak food season, with a future generation snuggled safe in her maternity nest. Not laying out on the road dying of starvation.
Inca's prognosis is bleak.
I think the blood is from her lungs, which have been lacerated by an enormous burden of lungworm - contracted by being forced, through extreme hunger, into eating slugs, which are NOT the natural food of hedgehogs and are carriers of deadly lungworm.
But Inca is safe now, and has the very best prescription pain relief, antibiotics, and antiparasitics to give her a chance to heal, if it's possible.
Please provide a dish of dry kitten food and a dish of water in your garden each night. Such a small mercy can make the difference between life and death for these precious, gentle, inoffensive little animals.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

Happy #NationalRescueDogDay from Dove.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@BobFromAccounts Yes, no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@charliersmith1 Dove wishing you well.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@HackneySwifts seen over Leyton marsh yesterday by Kings head bridge.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

Love my dog #romanianrescue #romanianstreetdog #livingthelife

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@London_W4 Cheers though. 🍻

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@London_W4 It’s Hackney dahling.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@HireHackney At least it’s colour coordinated!

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

Happy national pets day from Dove. #romanianrescuedogs

[The Bee Guy @the_beeguy]

Queen #BUMBLEBEES - HELP THEM OUT!
Another Saturday morning means another vital thread concerning #bumblebee queens at this time of year!
Please #retweet/#share as EVERY QUEEN BEE THAT SURVIVES GETS TO ESTABLISH A NEST that otherwise would not happen. Let me explain.
1/11
#bees

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@London_W4 Council estate bible nicked your photo!

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@carlafrancome @Elainebks @SadiqKhan Leave them on the mother plant, the plant will look spectacular especially if you have it hanging.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@ReNatureLdn Today with this morning’s frost?

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@alanrevel Lovely but very early.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@WildlifeMag @HedgehogCabin this article is still telling readers hedgehogs eat slugs and snails.

[Ann Middleton @AnnMiddleton2]

@GardensHour I’m looking forward to a drier spring this year than last year. Hopefully seedlings will have a chance of growing rather than getting eaten by all the slugs!