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weeks, just when the beetles, caterpillars and slugs that hedgehogs rely on for food are themselves settling down to hibernate. Despite being nocturnal, autumn orphans are likely to be seen out during the day as they try to find food to gain weight

in the garden. As with that other garden favourite, the robin, wrens are voracious hunters of insects, and with their inquisitive searching into every available cranny, they will get in there now to clear out the caterpillars, aphids and plant bugs before

.At the height of breeding season the blue tit returned, though was scared off by a pair of great tits, which visited several times a day. They snacked on peanuts and gathered caterpillars and aphids for their babies. Sadly, they didn't return with their fluffy

piles, under sheds and in compost heaps. They breed from early to late-summer, giving birth to up to seven hoglets at a time, and feed on earthworms, beetles, caterpillars, and - happily for gardeners - slugs.I've never seen a hedgehog where I live

. If this year's youngsters and their parents can obtain enough energy now, they'll have the energy resources to survive leaner times ahead.Nesting parents have a particularly tough time in summer. The job of finding hundreds of caterpillars a dayis hard work