I’ve always been delighted by how much wildlife there is in our urban garden from bees and hover flies to sparrows and blue tits, but nothing causes quite as much excitement as spotting a hedgehog. Just over a week ago, we drew the living room curtains to find a little hedgehog hastily gathering leaves to make a nest under the pallet woodshed.

The very same day, I took the girls to the pet shop to buy some hedgehog food and my husband built a little hedgehog house out of spare bricks and a paving slab, and we were delighted to see the hedgehog shuffle inside just as dawn broke the next day. We also set up a little motion sensor camera to watch him without disturbing him, and spotted the mouse that also lives in the woodshed nabbing some food.

Small, shy and very skittish, catching a glimpse of our little Tiggywinks has been the highlight of my evening every night for the last week. We think it’s a male and probably born this year judging by his size, so I’m hoping between the food we leave out and all the insects in our garden, he’ll put on enough weight to survive the winter. Given the decline in hedgehog numbers across Britain, I’m happy to help any that find their way into our garden, but we try not to disturb him too much.

Leaving food and water for the hedgehog has quickly become part of our little daughters’ bedtime routine even though they’re both fast asleep by the time he emerges, and he’s usually in his own bed just before our early risers wake.

I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of watching hedgehogs snuffle and shuffle around the garden, perhaps because they’re nocturnal and increasingly rare, there is almost something magical about them. Have a lovely week. X