Lunchtime Fox

I watched one of our foxes wander down the garden this afternoon. It hadn’t seen the roe deer which was lying down digesting lunch. The deer stood up as the fox got near causing it to turn tail and run back towards the house. They generally co-exist fairly happily but we have seen some funny interactions over the years.

 

Our trail camera in our orchard has picked up 3 different foxes. At one point we did have a badger. No idea how it got in but not seen it for some years.

 

I used to get badgers too, they are surprisingly agile. My back garden is accessed by a metal fire-escape style staircase, and they came down it late at night - Clang, clang, clang. Sometimes there was a tumbling noise like they had taken it too fast and gone head over heels.

I once saw one of them sitting up with its back against my patio door, scratching its belly.

Haven't seen or heard them lately though. The bottom of my garden used to be their latrine but now I'm just seeing the odd fox poop. I had to have the staircase replaced last year and I wonder if the new one put them off. I was a bit scared when I had the work done that I'd be left without any stairs for a night, and I'd get up in the morning to find a pile of flattened badgers at the bottom!

 

Album here with some fox/deer interactions https://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/gallery/albums/fox-and-deer.645/

 

Love those @steephill !

 

My first sighting of her this week. She is very small, cat sized really. By the time I saw her the pear halves I'd put out were already gone and she was busily hoovering up the calciworms. She is very thorough, there is nothing left for the birds after she's gone!

 

Her teats are very visible aren't they? You may see cubs soon!!

 

Yes, they've been very visible since I first saw her, so she's been feeding cubs for a while now.

 

Oh sorry, I didn't realise that. You probably said, but my memory is awful.

 

Poor girl was very wet today. She spent a long time picking out all the calciworms from the grass. Then she found some apple and sat down to eat it in comfort. She took a chunk of the apple and put it into the longer weeds, foraged a bit longer, then collected the apple and carried it away with her.

 

Cubs!! I was lucky to spot these, they were only here a few minutes at about 10:30. Mum returned on her own shortly afterwards and the sun came out for her portrait.

 

M ex's back lawn is littered with toys and gardeners gloves etc. where the foxes steal them from nearby gardens and bring them to his lawn to play with. My neighbour recentlyhad her recycling food caddy stolen from the kerbside. My guess is a fox. My daughter was camping once, knew there was a fox around so left some left over food in a frying pan for. It didn't just eat the food, it took off with the frying pan which was retrieved from some distance away.

 

Badgers will go for the caddies - late one night I was watching the TV and heard a loud banging noise from outside. I looked out and a badger had one of the large food caddies by the handle, and was swinging it against the corner of the house trying to get it open. It wasn't my caddy - but after than I only put them out on the morning of collection. And now I compost instead!

I found an odd thing in my garden last week, a webbing strap with some metal buckles and branding indicating that it's a piece of climbing equipment. I wonder if the foxes brought that in.

 

Wow what fantastic photos @Escarpment I’d love to be able to watch foxes in my garden, you’re very lucky. My parents live in Bristol and have foxes in their garden but I live in the countryside in South Devon and hardly ever see one. They’re obviously here but much shyer!

 

I've lived in this house for over 30 years but only started seeing foxes recently. And then generally as a quick glimpse as they crossed the garden. It's since I started putting calci-worms out for the birds that this fox has found my garden worth lingering in.
I always used to have badgers, but haven't seen any evidence of them for the last year or so. It's a shame, but I don't miss having their latrine at the end of my garden.