I have only once before seen the Aurora - while studying hedgehogs up on North Ronaldsay, Orkney.
Oh - before I go on - this update will be repeated with more photos on my substack page. There is also other material on there that is not so hedgehog-adjacent!
That Orkney trip was my second look at the hedgehogs on the island - my first was back in 1986 as part of my degree. We love hedgehogs - but - the ornithologists on the island had noticed a surge in hog numbers coinciding with a decline in the breeding success of ground-nesting birds.
Hedgehogs were absent from most if not all of the northern islands - but people have taken them over (this is now illegal - but in 1974, the postman, John Tulloch, had no idea that what he was doing would have such consequences!)
Anyway - it is a long and I would argue fascinating story and is the starting point for my latest book - Cull of the Wild - in which I explore the complex ethical dilemmas faced by conservationists when they find that one gorgeous creature is threatening another gorgeous creature with extinction ... do you intervene? If so, have we any right to kill to save one of the species?
I would love to hear what you think of what I have written about this - obviously we can no longer use this platform to discuss, so please, drop into the substack (no paywall) and share thoughts!
Also - I do hope (if you are interested in buying the book) you use your local bookshop ... but ... have just noticed that the evil empire has it at a considerable discount ...
Back to the aurora - let me know if you saw it ... I spent the following two nights repeatedly checking the 'AuroraWatchUK' on my phone - and also the met office to check for cloud cover! But no luck.
Given my work it is inevitable that I should get a lot of pleasure from being out at night - the sights, sounds and scents of nature are all so different as the light fades. I hope that some of the aurora initiates will have got the bug - and realise that exploring the night is just as fun, if not more, than the day! Then maybe we will be able to recruit some new hedgehog ecologists!
Not that you will always see such a spectacular display! When I was radio-tracking hedgehogs in Devon the closest I got to this was the spooky glow that clung to the high voltage cables that hung perilously close to the ground (or so it felt, as I walked beneath them with what was essentially a big TV aerial!) - this only happened when the air was wet (which was a lot of the time) and was often accompanied by a an ominous buzz and crackle!
Hedgehog Awareness Week is behind us for another year - I hope you got some good hedgehog-helping done! If you want to check out the amazing films done with the help of Chris Packham - they are all here.
Now I have to juggle finishing a book about bats (more nocturnal thrills) - and my son's A levels ... no calm the next few weeks I fear!