Dear All,
I am sorry for the delay in this latest update - the household got caught up in the ping-demic and I had a new book proposal to finish writing and ... well ... the start of the summer holidays has not been very much filled with holiday.
But - I did get something lovely - just a couple of days before my birthday I got this from the boss of change.org!
"We have been so impressed by the persistence of Hugh’s petition - never giving up, always coming up with a new angle, and never losing his sense of humour - reaching a million signatures is a rare achievement and an indication of the hard work he has put in (as well as the love people have for hedgehogs, of course). His regular updates to his signers have been much loved by our users and have helped propel his campaign on to achieve real impact. We look forward to seeing what more Hugh and his supporters will achieve together!", Pascale Frazer-Carroll, UK Director, Change.org
This is a massive boost to my self-esteem - and it should also be taken as a massive THANK YOU to all of you!
So, to business. Research is vital to help us present clear conservation message. One of the most important aspects of hedgehog research is the simple need to know how the population is changing over time. Overall population is very tricky to assess, but we can get a good idea of whether it is going up or down from citizen science. And this is where you come in! How would you like to take part?
Run by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (who work with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society to run Hedgehog Street) - Mammals on Roads is a slightly gruesome but very effective research programme. Please follow the link to the survey - you can download an app and just record what you see - there is a little more detail than that, so have a read.
It might not seem like your journey is important because you didn't see anything ... but this IS important - we need to get a good record of where hedgehogs (and other mammals) are and are not.
The photo with this update is from my days as an active hedgehog researcher - that very rickety caravan was at the top of a field on a farm in Devon. I lived there for 6 weeks - it transformed my life - I met Nigel (the hedgehog) and got commissioned to write my first ever article. I also made a radio programme for BBC Radio 4 that got onto Pick of the Week! But I share the photo to highlight the glamour of our lives ... never be fooled into thinking we are doing hedgehog research for anything other than love!
For those of you who want to carry on the conversations that these updates stimulate, please pop over to the Hedgehog Highways Facebook Group. I owe such a debt of gratitude to Jacqueline and Rose who help me moderate this rather busy space - currently 18,400 people are signed up!
I hope that you are all able to get some sort of break from everyday life over the summer - I am off to photograph a festival tomorrow, for the weekend (there is more to me than just hedgehogs!) And hope to see Fairport Convention on Sunday!
And finally - just in case any of you were at a loose end and were desperately trying to decide what to read while you staycate or quarantine or isolate or even, find a beach and some sun ... search for me online or ask in your local bookshop ... every little helps!!