FabSwingers.com forum: Well... I wasn't expecting that!

By *andVB OP Couple
over a year ago

Wrexham

I found a hibernating hedgehog yesterday.

I decided to do a little gardening and remove a few thickets of pampas grass and lo and behold, a little hedgehog all curled up in it's nest.

Feeling guilty at exposing the wee chap I quickly returned the leaves and then placed an up-turned wheelbarrow over the area (allowing for hedgehog access, of course) to keep him safe.

I was rather delighted though, it felt somewhat magical.

(In the few moments our paths crossed I named him - Hodgekins - and established a rather elaborate backstory involving exile from the hedgehog homelands due to heretical ideas about the true nature of hedgehogs.)

What unexpected delights have brought a smile to your face?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

That's so lovely, op. Especially the back story

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Yesterday whilst I was having a declutter, I checked in the pockets of a bag I was sending to the charity shop, and found a £20 note in there

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Driving through the bush in Victoria and I see something slowly waddling on the road, towards a tree. As I got closer, I realised it was a koala.

I got out and got to within a metre of him and we just kinda sat there looking at each other.

Most Australians have never seen a wild koala so it was one of the most special experiences that was so unexpected!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I was fixing a bit of broken fence and digging at the base of it when the earth starting moving in front of me.

Out popped a toad

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

We wondered what it was in the porch. Upon peering through the glass we saw a fox staring back at us.

Years ago we lived on a farm. For reasons long forgotten we had a big, glass sweet jar laying on its side in the utility room. Imagine our surprise when we found a mole in it.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I live next to a nature reserve and this time of year frogs, toads and newts try to migrate to the ponds in the reserve . Unfortunately many get run over , but there's a little team of volunteers I see from my window each evening helping them cross

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Yesterday whilst I was having a declutter, I checked in the pockets of a bag I was sending to the charity shop, and found a £20 note in there

coffees on you next time then

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By *eardyBikerMan
over a year ago

nr stonehaven

Was out seeing Logan on opening night and walking back to the car..at a distance i notice somethnminv on the ground..not sure what..then as i closed in , it was a bloke ..a moment of hesitation then ..1st aid procedure..breathing..check..shoulder shake and all that ,..just running thru thinking of calling the emergency services etc and see a polis van..flag them down and they sort it all out...fella was just pished..

Felt quite chuffed about it...since i had seen someone at a distance clearly walk past the lad and not bother.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Aww nice story OP.

We have a field mouse that climbs the wall to run along the windowsill to eat the bird seed.

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By *andVB OP Couple
over a year ago

Wrexham

There are some lovely stories here, thanks for sharing!

I'd love to see a wild koala, that must have been amazing! The closest I've come to something like that was a badger cub running across a car park in the wee hours of the morning.

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By *inky-MinxWoman
over a year ago

Grantham

Hedgehogs are an endangered species now so it's wonderful to hear of people looking after them

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By *itsmcgee4Couple
over a year ago

Central

"I was fixing a bit of broken fence and digging at the base of it when the earth starting moving in front of me.

Out popped a toad

This happened to us, we were cutting down a massive bush/tree thing in the back garden, as we finally sawed through the last bit and tipped it over we noticed the trunk was hollow and right in the middle sat a big fat smug looking toad. I felt bad for chopping his house down though.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Cute story...

love the name too.. one of my fave bones character!!

My dad and I popped out in the car to go drop off an ebay purchase to someone in a nearby village and on passing the woods my dad starts to break and looking out there is a deer just crossing the road.. it was absolutely breath taking, had a glance at us then proceeded to keep walking across! So amazing to see up close

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Driving through the bush in Victoria and I see something slowly waddling on the road, towards a tree. As I got closer, I realised it was a koala.

I got out and got to within a metre of him and we just kinda sat there looking at each other.

Most Australians have never seen a wild koala so it was one of the most special experiences that was so unexpected! "

Koalas carry chlamydia. You were lucky to survive. Stay safe

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By *ackdaniels2016Man
over a year ago

Yarm

Bit of a sad story mine ... I drive a lot due to my job and I've experienced a lot of idiots on the road as you can imagine however what I witnessed around Christmas time actually made me feel embarrassed to be human !! Some car actually accelerated into a cat that was in the distance on the road and caught it's back end !! I was actually in shock I raced quickly towards the poor thing and jumped out and managed to get it into my car and to the vets ! the noises it was making still stick in my mind and ears !!

I wanted around a bit and gave a statement the poor thing survived (I called later to find out) so sad how cruel some people are !! I really hope karma is true !

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Driving through the bush in Victoria and I see something slowly waddling on the road, towards a tree. As I got closer, I realised it was a koala.

I got out and got to within a metre of him and we just kinda sat there looking at each other.

Most Australians have never seen a wild koala so it was one of the most special experiences that was so unexpected! "

Wow, so jealous, the only reason I want to visit Australia is so I can hold one. (All stems from my childhood, my favourite toy was a koala bear and my mum used to tell the story that she had to wash and dry it while I was asleep because she could get it off me when I was awake)

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Whilst visiting my sister in Northamptonshire a couple of years back, we were driving down a country lane near Oundle & out jumped a Muntjac Deer. It was so small & cute. Looked at us then ran back into the wood. Amazing

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By *iSTARessWoman
over a year ago

London

Slightly different but when I lived in Cyprus as a kid, we had chickens. They had chicks during a scorching summer, all died within minutes but two were barely alive.

My parents put them in a shoe box in the yard but when I found them, couldn't stand their suffering so squirted them with the hose pipe. My parents went mad once they'd realised what I'd done but within an hour, they were both running around the garden.

Unfortunately a snake killed them about six months later but they were happy little blighters for a short time

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By *ce WingerMan
over a year ago

P.O. Box DE1 0NQ

"I live next to a nature reserve and this time of year frogs, toads and newts try to migrate to the ponds in the reserve . Unfortunately many get run over , but there's a little team of volunteers I see from my window each evening helping them cross "

I used to be in the building trade and worked at St George's Park (the National Football Centre and England training ground) when it was being built.

One day I was told I was going to be newt fencing! That's a bit unfair I thought as I had no experience in fencing newts, so thought I was in for a right good hammering

Turns out it was putting up nets about 1 metre high and hammering posts in around the perimiter of the entire site. It took us about 3 weeks to do and we encountered loads of different newts, frogs and toads which were all placed back on the outside of the fence.

Took us about 5 weeks to take all the netting out again when the building work and all the machinery had left site about 2 yrs later. It was amazing how many of them we still found that had either dug their way under or climbed over though

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By *opsy RogersWoman
over a year ago

London

A badger once wrote a car of mine off by walking in front of it. It was pitch black and the next morning I went back to see if I could find it as I wanted to make sure it wasn't suffering.

No sign of it. No blood or body.

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By *imiUKMan
over a year ago

Hereford

Bloody townies....

I saw an animal once, right where you might expect to find it, like.

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By *eadySteadyCockCouple
over a year ago

Tredegar

Nice thread op! Hope the hedgehog is ok! We bought one of those bird feeders which attaches to the glass in the window with a see through plastic case which we fill with sunflower hearts. Since then we have birds feeding constantly. Blue tits, great tits, bull finches, siskins, wood pigeons, doves and squirels. For a simple little box it brings much happiness to us! I highly recommend one, it's great fun!

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By *andVB OP Couple
over a year ago

Wrexham

It would seem the exile of Hodgekins has come to an end. A little peep under the upturned wheelbarrow this morning discovered a nest abandoned.

I can only hope that he has been accepted back with open arms.

Thanks for sharing your stories everyone

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