To catch a fox some background

Stuart Philpott said:
Welcome,

Martin start the lights soon , make a little screen so passers by on road don't notice. Start the lights with some thing innocuous: a tiny little led camp light might be ideal. place that light where you intend to place a light later to make an image

Go real gentle but start soon, the lesson here mate is five weeks no images!! Buddy I have a lot of video and I guess I simply wore her down but five weeks !!

Brock isn't charlie, Martin, but that nose and those ears wow. If you are feeding then you have a way past scent, I suspect they might be less sensitive than a fox to having an led in their faces. but I'd start lights asap on a small cheep scale then build up if you decide to. That way you don't have to invest ,and at the same time brock is gentley introduced to a difference in surroundings, I started with a table lamp it works QED
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I will start with lights at some point but for now I'm gradually introducing an hide, putting it up in parts and see how they react to a new structure, checking trail camera as I go ( I'll bung some photos of it when its built ) . I also have two ways I'm going to try and get images 1. the usual camera/tripod or bean bag 2. a dslr camera trap system which I'm keen on trying, bought a triggersmart pro system to try which I'll use on daytime stuff 1st to get some practice on so we'll see how that goes.
 
The trigger smart looks interesting Martin, yes sure build hide before lights, it's a real long term investment you need to go slow. I'd love to see all this mate,it sounds of great interest
 
Stuart Philpott said:
The trigger smart looks interesting Martin, yes sure build hide before lights, it's a real long term investment you need to go slow. I'd love to see all this mate,it sounds of great interest
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Only used it at home but it does seem to trigger camera quick enough, a mate of mine has used it in his set up to good effect, I'll keep you updated on how it goes mate
 
well done for getting so close, they are cunning and hard to catch
 
fujilover said:
well done for getting so close, they are cunning and hard to catch
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thanks FL, incredibly tricky dealing with them at this range,especially mum. Tough, but a huge learning curve. i'm glad I tried to do this. We are still getting visits but they are much more eratic now

cheers again

stu
 
Guys this sort of came to a natural ending, I needed to return to not being half nocturnal ,those hours between 1 am and 4 AM are brutal to be awake at for me. I can do the obscene late late finish and the early starts ,but those hours my body is really not into. Plus visits became fewer and fewer. So after a couple or three blinding nights, I pulled back from the night shoots


The last time we saw any foxes here was maybe a month back or more now, we had noticed less and less visits but one night just happened to be awake and stood watching cubbings feeding through our normal front door just watching through glass, she would be say 4 yards away. From the back the dog cub entered things were instantly not good,.

I don't keep a dog now but yeah I love them to bits and most of the time we get on . So I have some awareness of similarities between fox and dog behaviour. i've always felt the fox world is sort of a notch harsher than that of our domestic dog.

Jeepers guys, the dog cub beat the living crap out of e mate, his sister hard watch really hard................ she left lame and that's the last we have seen for weeks I guess.

I'm not surprised at what we saw, i've watched charlie and family here and there they are tough little guys and sure soft sod talking, But as well as being a damn a hard last watch then nothing. . It was an incredible bit of behaviour to see right under one's nose. It's one of those things so brutal that half of me wanted not to see and yet part of me wanted to make images of it . The sounds were also amazing

Tthe whole night / fox thing was a fascinating experience for sure and in some ways I'm now back to normal.........

. we have the bird numbers especially goldfinch building like crazy now With that last night came our first confirmed sparrow hawk bathing in the above builders tray , ha too cool, :cool: I'm unsure young or female not adult male..... nearly got the lens on her Sadly I, just rushed the last bit and botched it ... UGG . We sort of see them hit us each year around now, maybe they bring the kids to learn on the goldies blue and great tits. Stunning to see it in a silly plastic mortar mixing tray there was a lovely image there she stayed long enough for me to run stairs unpack camera, still botched it:banghead:


take care

stu
 
Sorry to hear about the rough ending Stu, no such traumas here from the trailcam footage.
I guess it's a rougher scenario for rural foxes, greater competition etc. :(
 
I'm glad you saw this Roger, it was tough to watch and even though things seems good with your lot, if things do change at least you will be prepared now . Buddy I've seen animals do horrible things to each other, granted i'm a bit soft but, that is tempered by working with animals. and those real world experiences. So this wasn't a huge shock to me it might be harder for you, though , it's one of those situations I can see happening anywhere.

If there is a food source animals and birds find it and then almost always have to scrap about it But the bigger picture is kids growing up and a pecking order/ hirachy being sorted out

I'm simply not knowledgable enough to know they why's,I think of your urban and my rural as the same,just yours are slightly more used to humans than mine. But that latent aggression any fox has will still be there however tame cute and cuddly they might appear to us they are still a fox .

Buddy you could be keeping this at bay by feeding more heavily, lessening the competition aspect it might be something to do with rural and urban ,but for me i'd be surprised. Foxes are still going to compete with each other and hold territories in towns and cities, I honestly feel this is always going to happen,especially now as the kids get to the independence stage,it's just nature at work. Most of it would go on unseen, it was an utter fluke we saw this at all, but i'd lay a bet it will be happening around you even if you don't ever see this in the trail cam footage. .

A tough ending Roger but that's mum nature she's brutal at times................................................ Shaz found goldie feathers today ,so it looks like the sparrow hawk has already returned. and one little fella is no more. Life is tough!!

take care
 
Stuart Philpott said:
I'm glad you saw this Roger, it was tough to watch and even though things seems good with your lot, if things do change at least you will be prepared now . Buddy I've seen animals do horrible things to each other, granted i'm a bit soft but, that is tempered by working with animals. and those real world experiences. So this wasn't a huge shock to me it might be harder for you, though , it's one of those situations I can see happening anywhere.

If there is a food source animals and birds find it and then almost always have to scrap about it But the bigger picture is kids growing up and a pecking order/ hirachy being sorted out

I'm simply not knowledgable enough to know they why's,I think of your urban and my rural as the same,just yours are slightly more used to humans than mine. But that latent aggression any fox has will still be there however tame cute and cuddly they might appear to us they are still a fox .

Buddy you could be keeping this at bay by feeding more heavily, lessening the competition aspect it might be something to do with rural and urban ,but for me i'd be surprised. Foxes are still going to compete with each other and hold territories in towns and cities, I honestly feel this is always going to happen,especially now as the kids get to the independence stage,it's just nature at work. Most of it would go on unseen, it was an utter fluke we saw this at all, but i'd lay a bet it will be happening around you even if you don't ever see this in the trail cam footage. .

A tough ending Roger but that's mum nature she's brutal at times................................................ Shaz found goldie feathers today ,so it looks like the sparrow hawk has already returned. and one little fella is no more. Life is tough!!

take care
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Stu one common comment in wildlife documentaries is that a species limits itself to the ability of its territory to support it.
I'm guessing that it's the same with rural v urban Foxes ... ours have a more readily available source of food e.g. handouts, takeaway food discards etc whereas the rural fox has to work hard for its food.
I've witnessed 'squabbles' and 'submission' but I have seen no signs or evidence of brute aggression between the Foxes.
 
gramps said:
Stu one common comment in wildlife documentaries is that a species limits itself to the ability of its territory to support it.
I'm guessing that it's the same with rural v urban Foxes ... ours have a more readily available source of food e.g. handouts, takeaway food discards etc whereas the rural fox has to work hard for its food.
I've witnessed 'squabbles' and 'submission' but I have seen no signs or evidence of brute aggression between the Foxes.
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If numbers of ’nuisance’ urban foxes are being removed and liberated dumped in the countryside by certain organisations (as has happened in Yorkshire to my fairly certain knowledge) then there will be little population pressure.
 
sphexx said:
If numbers of ’nuisance’ urban foxes are being removed and liberated dumped in the countryside by certain organisations (as has happened in Yorkshire to my fairly certain knowledge) then there will be little population pressure.
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Not aware of that happening in my area and I am pretty certain that I have had members of two family groups in my garden.
If that is happening then it will increase the pressure on rural Foxes.
 
gramps said:
Not aware of that happening in my area and I am pretty certain that I have had members of two family groups in my garden.
If that is happening then it will increase the pressure on rural Foxes.
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Yes & no. They are found wandering about ‘lost’ and probably don’t survive :(.
 
Roger,life might be easier for the urban fox,ie more food,but then logically there would be more a dense population,which one could logically follow with,well there are more foxes in a given area ,so surely that will equate to more conflict?

But more specifically we see a rise in both rural and urban pop's each year ie breeding and at some stage both pop's are going to get to a stage where the young get kicked out,to put it bluntly.

No you haven't seen anything like we did that night, as of yet and maybe you never will,it so easily could happen elsewhere, I'd lay a bet it's still happening, though. I just can't see a way around it ,there has to be some form of mechanism for the dispersal of the young. Buddy I don't know any of this bar what i've seen over the years and all of that is rural based knowledge. I guess not every case is so graphic as what We saw............... no one backed down !! If one had, the watching might have been easier but the issue has to be sorted one way or another


Even with Janny's post on your thread about scientific studies on how rural and urban foxes are starting to differ, I can't see them loosing a base instinct like this,

I might be wrong ,but if I am then all your cubs, that survive this winter and their new mate( breeding partner/s) and their cubs and their parents and their new batch of cubs , will turn up on your lawn next year...can't see it mate, just can't see it happening. I think I recollect six cubs on your lawn one night? Just say all the cubs survive with no dispersion and no first year losses ( unlikely) you are looking at 7 families.....I just can't see it.

I'll gladly stand corrected buddy ha ha and will adore watching the mayhem you film, ;) but I'll also be completely amazed

Time will tell:D

Hey Rich..".waves"......:)
 
Stuart Philpott said:
Roger,life might be easier for the urban fox,ie more food,but then logically there would be more a dense population,which one could logically follow with,well there are more foxes in a given area ,so surely that will equate to more conflict?

But more specifically we see a rise in both rural and urban pop's each year ie breeding and at some stage both pop's are going to get to a stage where the young get kicked out,to put it bluntly.

No you haven't seen anything like we did that night, as of yet and maybe you never will,it so easily could happen elsewhere, I'd lay a bet it's still happening, though. I just can't see a way around it ,there has to be some form of mechanism for the dispersal of the young. Buddy I don't know any of this bar what i've seen over the years and all of that is rural based knowledge. I guess not every case is so graphic as what We saw............... no one backed down !! If one had, the watching might have been easier but the issue has to be sorted one way or another


Even with Janny's post on your thread about scientific studies on how rural and urban foxes are starting to differ, I can't see them loosing a base instinct like this,

I might be wrong ,but if I am then all your cubs, that survive this winter and their new mate( breeding partner/s) and their cubs and their parents and their new batch of cubs , will turn up on your lawn next year...can't see it mate, just can't see it happening. I think I recollect six cubs on your lawn one night? Just say all the cubs survive with no dispersion and no first year losses ( unlikely) you are looking at 7 families.....I just can't see it.

I'll gladly stand corrected buddy ha ha and will adore watching the mayhem you film, ;) but I'll also be completely amazed

Time will tell:D

Hey Rich..".waves"......:)
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Stu they will disperse, no question ... I see 1 cub daily, its parents 'regularly' and 2 siblings very occasionally.
Some die 'naturally', some are killed on the roads ... the others, no idea ... cats? :LOL:

 
Cool vid, ..... We watched a fox carrying a white cat to the den for the cubs dinner, it doesn't always go that way ;)

Exactly they will disperse and there is a mechanism in place that they have used for eons. to that end........agression hard as it is ......think you have been spared.

A tough watch Roger, I guess one is going to get attached with hours trying to make images of individuals , it's been really rewarding but tempered by mum natures brutal side.

Ahh mate, hindsight ............ PK has been here a while now, ie possibly a couple of years with cubs not just this year I know when our run's being used ,it just never dawned a vixen would bring cubs here. Next door's fairly free roaming dogs an all.

Early on she held the cubs at the back of the garden right by the hedge in the tall veggies Ha. they flattened A LOT...... the same thing happened last year

So with luck and a following wind she might come back,. If so and I can get in earlier and she isn't a bloody fruit loop to things like silent AF, well, all but, I might have some fun with some tiny fluff balls. I missed a lot this time around of the earlier stuff a second chance would be cool:),

Oh mate so much going on but when I get a mo I have her, PK, sitting you'ld love her:).......... everyone says she looks like a XXXXX corgi, people are so horrible..:LOL:. She does it's so funny


............ but yeah my beautiful vixen a corgi :runaway:
 
gramps said:
Stu they will disperse, no question ... I see 1 cub daily, its parents 'regularly' and 2 siblings very occasionally.
Some die 'naturally', some are killed on the roads ... the others, no idea ... cats? :LOL:

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I came here to mention road deaths, which I think are pretty high and likely more so in urban areas but you beat me to it :) .
 
Very interesting read Stuart and some excellent photography fella :)

Les
 
sphexx said:
I came here to mention road deaths, which I think are pretty high and likely more so in urban areas but you beat me to it :) .
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Lez325 said:
Very interesting read Stuart and some excellent photography fella :)

Les
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Rich Les, Les Rich sorry guys,tis my thread and I miss replies I feel plain rude came here to post a pic and see this sorry guys :( Les I guess your reply is simpler thank you

Rich,,,,,,,,,road mortality........................are foxes bright enough to learn traffic?..................could rural foxes not quite have enough traffic for them to learn as effectively as more urban foxes.?

I guess there's a study out there mate that will give us a ratio of population to road kills. rural and urban ?

Why I'm so interested is because very early on a fox was run over here, seen by someone else fox came out the back of the wheels and ran off seemingly unscathed. she was back here later that night. very much unscathed

I believe I watched her become aware of traffic and in some way teach her cubs, she'd stop them coming to her Rich I could hear her and see them. Traffic is sparse here ,but it moves waay too fast. So we hear the one car coming and going I've watched the foxes repeatedly go to leave then stop sit wait car goes by fox leaves. As always Rich questions from looking no science. no answers ha just questions:D

We have recently had brock killed within a hundred yards of the house really sad

take care both sorry for me being me
 
Love your fox shots, we had a similar experience, after the first encounter I just sat outside watching them from about the 10 yards, eventually 1 cub started to come closer and we ended up being able to feed it by hand.
I am hoping it will come back next year with its own cubs.
 
Stuart Philpott said:
Rich Les, Les Rich sorry guys,tis my thread and I miss replies I feel plain rude came here to post a pic and see this sorry guys :( Les I guess your reply is simpler thank you

Rich,,,,,,,,,road mortality........................are foxes bright enough to learn traffic?..................could rural foxes not quite have enough traffic for them to learn as effectively as more urban foxes.?

I guess there's a study out there mate that will give us a ratio of population to road kills. rural and urban ?

Why I'm so interested is because very early on a fox was run over here, seen by someone else fox came out the back of the wheels and ran off seemingly unscathed. she was back here later that night. very much unscathed

I believe I watched her become aware of traffic and in some way teach her cubs, she'd stop them coming to her Rich I could hear her and see them. Traffic is sparse here ,but it moves waay too fast. So we hear the one car coming and going I've watched the foxes repeatedly go to leave then stop sit wait car goes by fox leaves. As always Rich questions from looking no science. no answers ha just questions:D

We have recently had brock killed within a hundred yards of the house really sad

take care both sorry for me being me
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I think I see more fox road kills than brocks locally but that might just reflect the populations etc. I don’t see why foxes shouldn’t have traffic sense. It’s odd this ’traffic sense’, pheasants definitely behave suicidally, waiting till one is almost level and then dashing across (perhaps they need glasses) whereas chickens seem manage at roadside verges and my banties certainly used to forage on the grass verge in front of my house and I never lost any. On one occasion they all ended up on the other side of the road and I saw them ‘waiting’ to get back and went across and stopped the traffic for them :).
 
Thank you Clive , very kind OMG mate I took a few................................ I'm sure I remember your posts.............. forgive me endless graft at the mo,can't remember my own name. ................ too old for this :LOL:

I simply couldn't do what you did and let me in to the equation but still wonderful fun and a huge learning curve . Too many sheep farmers Clive ,in some ways I'd love to be accepted by a family of fox,but they can present real problems to a bird keeper ,which I have largely been my adult life. So I tried to walk a bit of a tight rope with them Clive, keep them as they are, but be very very close. Mind in my heart I know PK would have none of it, anyway. I kind of love her for that,

That's interesting Rich I think I've seen the opposite of late, more brock..................I'd love to have answers.

Phessie are bonkers they seem to have a death wish the minute they leave the egg,red legs are not much better,I always hit the horn now in the hope they might learn ,but part of me thinks it's futiile ,they just don't learn. :banghead:

Ahh well buddy at least we know why the chicken crossed the road now.to get home..........:exit:

you are right though me olde mate:) chucks are largely street wise it sort of surprises me Rich, I don't really think they are the full ticket:LOL:,much as I love them but it's true they are good with traffic.!!
why?

Is it product of eons of domestication that splits them, chucks have learnt the slow way through the generations,horse and cart first . Chucks progentor ( spelling ) is RJF which is a species of phessie, ............ they sort of should be similar with traffic the really aren't !!




I actually came here to post a piccy, so will do:D................. it's posted elsewhere........... tis sort of nice to have all the one's I get to process in one place, , Jees there's a few to sort out

A cub ha a " cubbins."............ not really sure whether to stuff it's face with peanuts or chase moths. so had a lie down to ponder It took me ages to work out why the foxes suddenly stare at the lights. I always felt it concerned them ,now I think was simply moths !!

_S2I5484 Sneakin' smj TDn by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

stu
 
I like the shot the cub. That’s interesting about the lights & moths, could be. Moths get exhausted around street lights etc and can accumulate on the ground so foxes could well be attracted to that.

Stuart Philpott said:
Phessie are bonkers they seem to have a death wish the minute they leave the egg,red legs are not much better,I always hit the horn now in the hope they might learn ,but part of me thinks it's futiile ,they just don't learn. :banghead:

Ahh well buddy at least we know why the chicken crossed the road now.to get home..........:exit:

you are right though me olde mate:) chucks are largely street wise it sort of surprises me Rich, I don't really think they are the full ticket:LOL:,much as I love them but it's true they are good with traffic.!!
why?
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I think chooks may be brighter than they seem. I was surprised to learn that some of mine (Marans in this case) could recognise different humans, from the waist up in this case, so apparently faces.
Is it product of eons of domestication that splits them, chucks have learnt the slow way through the generations,horse and cart first . Chucks progentor ( spelling ) is RJF which is a species of phessie, ............ they sort of should be similar with traffic the really aren't !!
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Chooks & pheasants are in the same group, which is why I am surprised they behave so differently, but rjf (I assume you refer to the Red Junglefowl)are definitely chooks rather than pheasants I think. The other odd thing from my limited experience was that all of the very few pheasants I’ve hatched were much, much tamer than my Rosecomb Bantams even though mostly raised by the bantams :thinking::thinking::thinking:
 
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Thanks on the image buddy, I know i'm hidden Rich , false door an all,so it's not quite the same as a hare taking a nap ......... but I just love having an animal lie down in front off me, who ever or what ever it is ....is essentially relaxed /chilled,, ahh mate that's a lovely thing to be part of ,ha maybe I'm just sad:D

Yes RJF red jungle fowl Gallus gallus, I knew you would understand me but , a tad lazy I'm sorry..................................... so funny i'm a basket case I replied to you last night must have sent it to mars :banghead:



Rich I guess I come out here:

. Our modern pheasant probably hasn't had a mother in it's life for years, generations and that is a massive facet of what we see on roads. If our game birds were reared "old skool"........................ banty and coup,................... betcha they would be more street wise. It's not only roads, they have no one to teach them predators... they are not quite the same as the one's that live in Asia. !!

Banty mum won't teach them to be a pheasant, but she can communicate with them teach them like no human can :)

Ha two poultry chaps musing birdz on a fox thread.. that's SO funny:LOL::LOL::LOL: ,

I love that
 
Pheasant & Rosecomb story. One of my pheasant chick being raised by a Rosecomb was pecked on the head by the Rosecomb cock (never seen them do that to their own chicks) the pheasant ran a long distance backwards so I thought it was a gonner, but it recovered (it wasn’t tiny) and all seemed well. Later on a cock pheasant of that clutch, can’t know if it was the same one, pecked the Rosecomb cock in the head punching a hole, probably cushioned by the rose comb. Pheasants are huge compared with the Rosecombs and I thought he was a gonner but in fact he survived. Was it revenge ... :).
 
def revenge :LOL:

I've no idea if I'm honest, but the tale made me chuckle. Can't help but wonder what is really going on in an animal or birds head. Rich , could they hold something like that over time? As before the older I get the more I learn ( ok you could logically substitute forget in there:)) the more questions I have ???????????
 
Hmm 2 years ago an a couple of months We first found a cub on our tiny front lawn. That first visit..that first day was the only time we ever saw them here is daylight and the above madness ensured. Well this week 3 days back around 3AM Shaz spotted a fox again on our front lawn.she came back next night around 2.30AM and last night was here much earlier say 10 :45pm

Sadly next door's dogs drove her off but I got half a look before before that happened, not long enough but half a look. Last year we say nowt so I'd presumed my vixen PK was no more,but maybe just maybe cubbin's has come back..........She's using the same runs as season before last............I've been on to something visiting for maybe 10 days now clocked the run tracks in very short grass on the verge one morn as I went off to graft. Doh a few nights later we had a muntjac right beside the house ,so made a brain dead asumption it was that. Haven't a clue why although the grass was short ;n; the ground dry and pretty hard I need my head seeing to for making that connection. :banghead: Jees I could make out round pad marks, ok seriously subtle but they were there,jees it's not as if I don't know what a munty print looks like. Too funny :LOL:

Anyways :oops: :$ in the brief snapshot of a view I got last night, I have one vixen visiting that is seriously preggers............ she looked almost fit to burst which I guess is early but then it's been a mild winter If i'm right and not being brain dead we might just get cubs here again, which is seriously tantilizing but also I know it would kill me most likely to pull those night hours and graft site by day.

I still beleive PK brought her cubs here for 2 years, the 2nd year lockdown gave me an in for images. But even though we never saw them first time around I'm convinced they came I'm so sure they were here.

Hmmm so want those tiny cubs a few meters away a second chance....

Stu
 
I don’t know what your front garden layout is like but I have a PIR ”driveway detector” in my covered porch (not waterproof) similar to this:

4VWIN Home Security Wireless Driveway Alarm 1 Receiver and 2 PIR Motion Sensor Detector Infrared Alert System Kit

I got it 4 years ago for a particular reason which no longer apples but it picks up wood pigeons and anything bigger and I have found it useful to alert me to deliveries to my outside letter box (doorbell not rung obviously). Mine has various “rings” including one that it just “thump, thump” for want of a better description. Of course a procession of muntjacs and foxes may keep you awake at nights :(.
 
ya know what buddy I have more than half a hunch you mentioned this when I originally started this madness. . It's something I really must look into, mind right now times are hard ,so no available funds, but it's a great shout thanks for the heads up , ha ha or reminder (y) :LOL:
 
Stuart Philpott said:
ya know what buddy I have more than half a hunch you mentioned this when I originally started this madness. . It's something I really must look into, mind right now times are hard ,so no available funds, but it's a great shout thanks for the heads up , ha ha or reminder (y) :LOL:
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You are probably right about repetition, sorry!
 
Maybe mate but I don't see it as a need to apologise for, just double the kindness :cool: Jees Rich I can't remember my own name half the time, so in no way infallible..... I do listen to ya though kiddo ;) some stuff sticks some falls out, tis the way of the world :D
 
ok I think me foxy lady took a 4 day break and then came back.sure this is old school observation driven what I do in the field stuff IE look really hard assimilate bash it in to one's head assimilate again bash it into one's head make the images there ....

she came back last night 10 15 ish thinner at the back this night 7PM
what does one read into that?

for me it's just smiles and beguiling and utterly prepared to be wrong

damn I love this stuff
 
I was actually at work when she came back at 7 and then properly folded sleep wise, poppet was up in the night.she thinks we have two foxes.remember we never saw a dog fox here 2 years back. she described to me one much much bigger than the other...and jumpy as hell compared to the other...fascinating letting the mind run riot and piecing the chinks of observation together

LMAO and trying to stop oneself jumping to( the wrong or right) conclusions.................meh isn't making that leap of faith what we do :exit: :LOL:
 
Well the plot definitely thickened last night and at least one musing has been thrown on it's head and I'm quietly completely perplexed. Last night just as I went up to bed checked front door and there was a fox scoffing peanuts..........a biggish old dog fox damn he's a fine lad proper fluffy too in his winter coat,cor he's s corker............that certainty of it being a him was "upped if ya like when a vixen turned up actually both there at the same time and obviously both happy in each other's company I got to stare hard at both for a while before he left and just a few seconds later he almost certainly barked. So I'm kinda 99.9% sure We have our first dog fox visiting and also Shaz was spot on IE We have more than one fox good eyes poppet.

Here's where it gets fun...........my gradded brief observation of OMG that's a heavily preggers mummy fox was correct she was here last night and is very heavy. My hope that she had nipped off to have kids utterly wrong 'cause they are still inside her clear as mud, so we actually seem to have 2 vixens and one dog visiting right now, which is why i'm perplexed as the vixen I've well We both have watched this weak, just can't be the same as the lass from last night.

I'm really surprised here by the second lass visiting at this time of year knocking on the door of the breeding season...........I honestly thought a pair would hold a territory, right noow (mind I seem to recollect early 2020 seeing 3 adults together close to here. ). I guess a dog fox holds a patch, remember this is what one might tern a rural setting not urban,and within that patch female territories overlap. ? That said i felt a pair of foxes about to bring cubs into the world would'nt want another fox competeing for food.

A question could a second vixen( maybe sister) help rear a litter?....................That's a bit wild that thought as I have no observations to say the two vixens get on, but I am really curious as to what the dynamic is here and there's that nagging observation froma couple of years back which was right outside a den, I called the bone yard

Any thoughts or knowledge here lads 'n' lasses?

Dog fox is seriously jumpy and I'm a bit under the cosh right now trying to get the work on our camper van done. So have made no attempt as of yet to light the garden or make images, but the whole shebang is fascinating

take care

stu
 
Interesting huh 3 years ago and one day Shaz said to me stu.there's a fox cub in our garden.........three years and one day on a few minutes back


Yup she said that exact same fing.......there are no images it's the irony of it all. 3 years and a day just how uncanny is that. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool:
 
Ha OMG it's stunning little one is already back and as always scared off by neighbours:headbang:

3 years on bar a day I see PK's grand kid how cool is that:banana:
 
Great to hear this.(y)

There have been a few times when I thought our fox had succumbed to something. He'd often come in limping, so obviously injured in some way but always recovered quickly. Then he stopped coming in 2021, I thought that was it, I didn't see him for 3 weeks. Then one night, all of sudden, he was back. Long story short, last November, we had 3 foxes here all at the same time, I think our original fox and 2 cubs. At the moment, we don't get a fox eveynight and I've not seen Dad for a while, I think one of his youngsters is currently visiting.

It seems to go in fits and starts with foxes, from 3 one night to nothing for a few nights, then 1 maybe 2 per night. It seems there is just the one for us at the moment and I'm sure it's a youngster from last year.

3 years for you too Stu, about the same as us. 3 years?...... how did that happen?



"there's a fox cub in our garden"............................. always a good day when you hear that. :)
 
Good read Dale^^^^^^^..............we have had 3 a few times last few months which I found surprising, as singularly, I thought they should be paired up, and nursing etc. Everday's a school day Think I wrote a note somewhere here probably off topic,

I can't believe how exact the timing is Dale we got pics first day here 3 years and one day later Shaz clocked a phone pic........little one spent alot of time here last night was still here at dawn. My hunch is this is cubbin's cub...no adults seen last night but one vixen does look just like cubbin's to me and she is far less wary than the dog fox. 3 years ago we were in lockdown bro I'll only get rare chances at this which saddens me. But hey ho. Little one looks really good in really good nick which is all that matters really, but yeah would like to nab some pics, Shaz has already asked about resetting the false door

Mate eons back a keeper and then a bird keeper told me fox hunt a round, by a round a mean a set area for a few days..then they move and do another circuit again for a few days.....maybe that's what you are seeing buddy?

I'm always frustrated by time Dale just can't get the time in the field I want .even if it's there on a plate in me front garden........ :headbang:
 
Sooooooooooooo so cool................... mum dad 2 cubs and a hodge heg as a cub dstraction :runaway: :runaway::LOL: ........................this is not good

OMG this is NOT GOOD !!
 
Stu, this thread is as long as War & Peace but a hell of a lot more interesting!! Thank you (and others) for your passion, commitment and for bothering in typing all the posts!! Very interesting. Hope all is well and enjoy the Bank Holiday!
 
nc_killie said:
Stu, this thread is as long as War & Peace but a hell of a lot more interesting!! Thank you (and others) for your passion, commitment and for bothering in typing all the posts!! Very interesting. Hope all is well and enjoy the Bank Holiday!
Click to expand...


John , thank you heart felt mate.thank you lovely words I don't deserve but hey I'll steal 'em anyway and keep 'em in a safe place :D Actualy buddy the bank hol hasn't gone so well. I'm a complete unadulerated wreck. Why you ask well tis all me own doing, basically referred to in my "oh this is not good post above.

got the whole shebang out last night lights false door.took a while for the old brain to engage set up wasn't fast. but be dusk I was ready camera in upskirting mode:runaway::LOL: even remembered to switch off rear screen as foxes it appears can see through lady's skirts.

Made images to some utterly ungodly hour John which I haven't looked at yet might be pants who knows. But got into them first night dog fox is having none of it but the kids and mum weren't too bonkers.

So all in all had a wicked time in a somewhat brain dead sleep deprived state and am a complete wreck now.:banana: Might come back later we will see how far I get. Have taken everything down now until maybe the weekend can't play this game and work site.sadly, so though best to prevent myself from trying;)

Lovely words buddy thank you..:)

PS.wish I had a 70-200 f2.8 is in my lens bag tis all too tight :headbang:
 
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