[CMOTD]

We are not actually short of hedgehogs in our village and they can be seen wandering about in most areas late at night. I live in a small housing estate on the outskirts so we are fairly close to uncultivated countryside. Most of the people in our cul-de-sac have made small holes in their fences so they can wander the gardens at will. I have seen up to five in our garden at once and it is surprising how noisy they are.

The feeding station is a plastic storage box with a 5" hole cut into it for access. The local cats find it very difficult to get in although one or two have managed it. We also leave a bowl of water nearby. We mostly feed them dry cat food, I think the hedgehog food you can buy is just the same stuff with a different label and a premium price. We don't overdo it as it it is meant to supplement their diet, not make them reliant on it. We do increase it in early spring and late autumn when their preferred food is getting scarce. Don't believe all that stuff about them being the gardener's friend though, ours will happily chomp on their food and ignore the big fat slugs that get in the feeding station.

We also have a hedgehog nesting box in the garden which is occupied now and again and is used for hibernation most winters.
Never seen a rat anywhere near my garden, although we do have a small family of field mice which also eat the hedgehog food as do our blackbirds.

The wildlife camera is a mid range Ltl Acorn which I have had for years. Not cheap but good value, it has day and night vision, PIR activation and timer facility. It will take still photos, videos, a combination of both and also do time lapsed stills. Does what it says on the tin but loses some efficiency on really cold days. I am constantly surprised how busy our small garden is in the middle of the night.