Foxes getting more confident

Tonight, my wife, son and I went for a walk on the local dunes. Its a nice spot with loads of wildlife and wildflowers.

I've always known that there are foxes there from anecdotal evidence of a friend of a friend occassionally catching a fleeting early morning glimpse, but you don't usually see them because of course they know you're there way before you know they're there, and then they hide.

Tonight though, we were walking along and I remember remarking that some of the birds were being unusually noisy. Then I realised why that was the case. They'd spotted Mr Fox. I spotted it too, and stopped, pointed it out to my wife and son, and then we just stood and watched. It was only about 20 yards away from us, slowly walking through the long grass. It looked at us, thought about it for a second, and then just carried on. I think although it was clearly not hidden from us, the position it was in would have meant it would be out of sight of the birds in the pond/marsh. It was clearly after its supper, and having spotted us, decided we weren't a threat, and weren't interested in the same supper, so it just carried on.

Only when my 2 year old son decided to tell us rather loudly and with a very sudden pointing action, did the fox decide maybe it should hide. At that, it turned, broke into a steady jog, and then seemed to just vanish in plain view.

 

Not like Mr Badger down here then, if he sees you he stops, snorts and stamps his from paws at you, trying to get you to back off rather than him retreating.

 

I've seen lots of foxes around here, they are gorgeous, unless you have chickens, which my neighbour has, so they can be trouble for him, but i've only ever seen dead badgers occasionally on the roadside, very sad. I'd love to see one alive for a change.

 

I miss foxes, such pretty, well groomed animals. We don't have any on the island.

 

Grow Sweet Corn, you'll soon get Badgers then:D

 

Yep, they're getting very cheeky!

 

We have urban foxes which have very little fear of people. During the worst of the snow, I saw what I took to be a cat curled up on the roof of next door's shed. It turned out to be a little fox. Foxes can leap tall fences as nimbly as a cat, so I often find one sitting in my garden in the early morning. I wish they weren't quite so bold. Foxes are getting a bad press following the incident in Hackney (something fishy about that one; who leaves French windows open and unattended in Hackney?) and my fear is that someone will want them gone. They are a bit of a nuisance with rubbish bags, but then a fox has to live and we're the ones chucking out lots of food. And the sight of a mother fox playing with her cubs is magical.

 

yesterday my 'over the road 'neighbour' told me she has lost all her chickens to a fox! then saw him the next day at 10am wandering down her path! I am keeping a close eye on my three chooks

Loopy

 

About one week ago I found a little furry thing near a supermarket, injured and battered.

She was standing completely motionless. I think I was quite brave to lift her (clearly expecting her to pierce my hand anytime) but I just couldn't leave her there, this tiny fox.

Well, she was with us for about one week. The first two days barely moving, lying down on her side in pain, then gradually getting on her two feet.

Anyway at around the fourth day you wouldn't have believed it was the same furry ball that was nearly dying a few days before. She was a proper miniature fox running from one side to the other of the room ever so quick and hiding behind the sofa most time.

I confess that I felt a bit like St Francis speaking to the animals...

So I suddently realized that the little thing had really intention to live.

My concern at this point was that I didn't want her to be too familiar with us and be unable to fend by herself in the nature when I would eventually release her.

So as soon as I could, I got her used to be outside and come in occasionaly and then I gave her food sparingly.

Now it has been a few days and she is probably gone.

But it has been such a nice experience (aside from the hugely smelly wee that she copiously produced and I could recognize anytime...!!!) to have this cute little thing for a few days with us.

 

My daughter had a break from her GCSE revision and joined us at the plot this afternoon, wandering off with her camera to take pics of flowers and insects. She was away for quite some time because this is what she was watching:



A vixen and two cubs were in an adjoining field and I missed it because I had all those free Homebase spuds & onion setts to plant.

 

They really are gorgeous things, Scrungee. Even though they go through my rubbish and leave calling cards everywhere.

 

Wow, thats great Miraflores She'll probably be back next year for you to babysit while she goes to the Bingo:D

 

lovely pictures of the foxes - those I think I could deal with but rabbits! you know the flopsy,mopsy, cottontail and Peter type of rabbits that look so cute but I hate them!! they eat everything in my garden, have spent a fortune on plants & seeds, covered them in wire netting (looks awful) and put things in tall pots, some of which under these circumstances manage to survive. No-one seems to know how to rid the garden of these creatures so, can anyone give me a list (even a short one) of things that rabbits will NEVER eat but that will look nice in my garden. Would be grateful for any advice.
many thanks.

 

Comprehensive list of everything rabbits wont eat + Bindweed + Thistles

So the remedy is rabbit-proof fencing.

We've discovered that there are three fox cubs, not just two as we saw previously, one being rather small and shy. My wife & I have just come back from watching the three of them playing together. No sign of the vixen, but probably in the copse keeping an eye on them.

Shall have to get my daughter back there with her camera set on 'pet mode' again.