24 September β 23 November
the coastal calendar, shifted 14 days later for this region
Hedges, gardens and stone-wall margins after dark; audible long before it is visible.
A second litter in August is a trap: those young rarely reach the 600 grams they need to survive hibernation. A hedgehog out in daylight in November is not enjoying the sun, it is in trouble.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| hibernating | 24 November β 2 April | 130 days | True hibernation: body temperature drops and the animal cannot simply wake. |
| going about the year | 3 April β 3 May | 31 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |
| courting | 4 May β 2 June | 30 days | Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β pairs forming or reaffirming. |
| pregnant | 3 June β 28 June | 26 days | Pregnant. Nothing to see from outside, which is why the dates matter. |
| raising young | 29 June β 2 August | 35 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| young out of the den | 3 August β 23 September | 52 days | Young out of the nest or den, but still fed and followed by the adults. |
| young dispersing | 24 September β 23 November | 61 days | Young leaving for good, looking for a territory of their own. |