Need some Fox help.

Carl · #1 (**permalink**) 12-12-2010, 11:58 PM

i`m just wandering what could threaten a fox in the urban areas?
The reason i ask is because i keep hearing his fox making the threat call.Could it just be cats?or another fox?

Thanks for any help.

Wild-Woman · #2 (**permalink**) 13-12-2010, 06:37 AM

You might find that its not a threat call but a series of yelps, screams, cries that will be made by foxes as they come into the mating season, which is round the corner. Some of the sounds are eerie and blood-curdling and it has been known for people to phone the police thinking that someone is being murdered!

faz · #3 (**permalink**) 13-12-2010, 06:39 AM

agree with wild -woman more than likley the breeding season

The Woodman · #4 (**permalink**) 13-12-2010, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

You might find that its not a threat call but a series of yelps, screams, cries that will be made by foxes as they come into the mating season, which is round the corner. Some of the sounds are eerie and blood-curdling and it has been known for people to phone the police thinking that someone is being murdered!

That time is here already, I can vouch for it at 0115 hrs one morning last week!
I've seen 10 day old cubs in the second week of February.

mbaldw · #5 (**permalink**) 13-12-2010, 07:26 AM

I agree with the previous posters that you're probably hearing contact calls (associated with finding mates) but, in terms of threats, fights tend to be with other foxes or, to a lesser extent, domestic cats and dogs.

Cheers,
Marc.

wildplacesne · #6 (**permalink**) 13-12-2010, 12:53 PM

I agree that they're probably mating calls, I've been hearing them calling for a few weeks now.

BeatriceE · #7 (**permalink**) 19-12-2010, 01:41 PM

We had a pair of foxes mating last night literally outside our suburban bungalow bedroom window for about 5 minutes at 12.30am. The noise woke us and our cats. I got up and peeped out of the lounge curtains to see the dog fox standing about a metre away. He had set off the security light so, had I had my camera, I could have got a close-up photo. That's life!

A man walked by on the opposite side of the road, unaware that he was being observed by a fox. The dog fox then went down our drive and up the road. The vixen (also sleek and well-fed) followed about a minute later.

This morning we could see their jumbled footprints in the snow under the windows. Will he mate again with the same vixen or is it a one-off?

mbaldw · #8 (**permalink**) 20-12-2010, 10:26 AM

Quote:

He had set off the security light so, had I had my camera, I could have got a close-up photo. That's life!

Wow, that's something that not many people (even the experts) see, and there are very few decent photos.

Quote:

This morning we could see their jumbled footprints in the snow under the windows. Will he mate again with the same vixen or is it a one-off?

The vixen is only receptive for a short period (two-to-four days) per cycle but the pair will mate several times during that period. Often, the dog will 'mate guard' (i.e. he'll travel and hunt with the female to try and prevent other males getting to her). Once the vixen has gone out of season the male will often move widely around the area looking for other receptive females. Similarly, tracking studies at Bristol Uni have found that vixens spend a greater proportion of their time on the periphery of their range during the breeding season - the idea being, it seems, to increase her exposure to other males.

The recent snows suggest fox activity (possibly even Roe deer activity!) in our garden, but we've not heard anything so far this year.

Cheers,
Marc.