foxes
i haven't written about the foxes, but that's not for lack of seeing them - i've seen them pretty much daily *smile*
daily and nightly *smile*
mostly i see the fox cubs, and i realise now that thier hole in the fence is much closer to their den than i realised previously... possibly even one of the opening tunnels of their den. they venture out solo, in twos/threes, and/or en masse... and bonus fox cub! there are 5! *grin* parallelgirl and i saw 5 for the first time on the later-in-may bank holiday monday *smile* while i see them at alsorts of times of day and night, one time they're almost guaranteed is dusk. just before the light fades to dark/night there's usually a cub or two/few in the garden. i realised the other week as i stood there loooking at the fox cub, and it at me, that maybe they expect to see me at this time also! and i was reminded of the chapter from antoine de saint exupery's 'the little prince' where the little prince tames the fox... or was it the other way around... *smile*
i also particuallry enjoy seeing one in the early morning sun, just sitting outside their hole, watching and smelling and listening to the world around *smile*
occasionally i see their adult with them - the mangy fox, whose coat and health seem to be improving *smile* and one such occasion was a night last week, at least 5 fox cubs in the garden, and later - as i stood in the doorway, telling one of the fox cubs off for traipsing through the poppies - i realised their parent was with them also, standing on the lawn looking at me, while the cubs scattered and gradually made their way back to their hole/den. i thought at the time it was a shame to deter them, but i've seen them out there a lot since (but not in the poppies *smile*), and it was great to be out there with them in the night air *grin*
the cubs have grown in recent weeks from stumpy little things, to gangly creatures, like foals - tottering about on skinny legs that have suddenly got long. their tails are still catkin-soft looking, and their ears still too big for them *smile* tho i think they might be beginning to grow into their ears nowish.
i watch them pottering about in the garden, stealing the cats' food, tiptoeing up on tweety cat. generally braver when not alone, one of them has crept up closer and closer to tweety - i'm not sure if it's curiosity or territorial, or a mixture of both. there have been a couple of occasions where the fox cub has got closer than the cat has liked, and there's been a foxy yelping as tweety has batted one with her paw(s) as she steps away... but then i see the fox cub sniffing around/settling in the spot the cat had previously held.
i've watched them exploring and playing in the garden - they've come closer and closer to the house as they've got bigger, bringing them right up to the door and windows. i watch them running and leaping and springing and climbing. chasing and biting each others' tails - two running, one after the other with the firsts tail in the seconds mouth *grin* they collide and disperse, scattering at sounds and sights and smells, running this way and that. creeping behind plants, tracking new and trodden paths through the garden.
often they're just flashes of sand and shadow in the fading light of evening/night.
and sometimes i hear them in the path between my bedroom and my neighbours' house, running and yipping... and what sounds like dragging sticks across the bars of my neighbours' gate, playing it like a xylophone! they slip through between the fence and wall, the lean-oto and water butt.
o, and i smell them! i noticed this particularly the other day, weeding a bit around the pond... their foxy smell on the grasses and ground, in the air. and i notice it at other favourite spots in the garden...
daily and nightly *smile*
mostly i see the fox cubs, and i realise now that thier hole in the fence is much closer to their den than i realised previously... possibly even one of the opening tunnels of their den. they venture out solo, in twos/threes, and/or en masse... and bonus fox cub! there are 5! *grin* parallelgirl and i saw 5 for the first time on the later-in-may bank holiday monday *smile* while i see them at alsorts of times of day and night, one time they're almost guaranteed is dusk. just before the light fades to dark/night there's usually a cub or two/few in the garden. i realised the other week as i stood there loooking at the fox cub, and it at me, that maybe they expect to see me at this time also! and i was reminded of the chapter from antoine de saint exupery's 'the little prince' where the little prince tames the fox... or was it the other way around... *smile*
i also particuallry enjoy seeing one in the early morning sun, just sitting outside their hole, watching and smelling and listening to the world around *smile*
occasionally i see their adult with them - the mangy fox, whose coat and health seem to be improving *smile* and one such occasion was a night last week, at least 5 fox cubs in the garden, and later - as i stood in the doorway, telling one of the fox cubs off for traipsing through the poppies - i realised their parent was with them also, standing on the lawn looking at me, while the cubs scattered and gradually made their way back to their hole/den. i thought at the time it was a shame to deter them, but i've seen them out there a lot since (but not in the poppies *smile*), and it was great to be out there with them in the night air *grin*
the cubs have grown in recent weeks from stumpy little things, to gangly creatures, like foals - tottering about on skinny legs that have suddenly got long. their tails are still catkin-soft looking, and their ears still too big for them *smile* tho i think they might be beginning to grow into their ears nowish.
i watch them pottering about in the garden, stealing the cats' food, tiptoeing up on tweety cat. generally braver when not alone, one of them has crept up closer and closer to tweety - i'm not sure if it's curiosity or territorial, or a mixture of both. there have been a couple of occasions where the fox cub has got closer than the cat has liked, and there's been a foxy yelping as tweety has batted one with her paw(s) as she steps away... but then i see the fox cub sniffing around/settling in the spot the cat had previously held.
i've watched them exploring and playing in the garden - they've come closer and closer to the house as they've got bigger, bringing them right up to the door and windows. i watch them running and leaping and springing and climbing. chasing and biting each others' tails - two running, one after the other with the firsts tail in the seconds mouth *grin* they collide and disperse, scattering at sounds and sights and smells, running this way and that. creeping behind plants, tracking new and trodden paths through the garden.
often they're just flashes of sand and shadow in the fading light of evening/night.
and sometimes i hear them in the path between my bedroom and my neighbours' house, running and yipping... and what sounds like dragging sticks across the bars of my neighbours' gate, playing it like a xylophone! they slip through between the fence and wall, the lean-oto and water butt.
o, and i smell them! i noticed this particularly the other day, weeding a bit around the pond... their foxy smell on the grasses and ground, in the air. and i notice it at other favourite spots in the garden...