Foxes...AGAIN

[Kyani]

Well, after not seeing a fox in our street for months on end, I got some scraps from the pub's manager tonight (he wants me to have more cubs this year so he can fuss over the pictures and ask how hey are) and put them out in hope of seeing one.
An after sitting watching by the window for an hour with only big brother to keep me company, up stolled a dog fox (I know because he cocked his leg on a tree). A great big, healthy, bushy and - dare I say it - slightly fat dog fox. I know it's winter, but he was a little too stocky, if you know what I mean *laughs* Great though, to see him doing so well.
He was barking in the middle of the street too - so loud. Apparantly he barks a lot at about 5am, but I sleep too heavily.

So yeah, we have a fox in the street. My hope is he was barking either to his mate or to attract one, and that occasional food will encourage a vixen to have her cubs here again *crosses fingers*

[Fourwings]

Sounds like he's seeking a lady friend alright - keep watching Ky

[Pat]

The foxes are really noisy at this time of year, the male fox barks a lot and the vixen calls him with a loud cry that sounds almost human, the first time I heard it was in the woods after dark and thought someone was being murdered

[Pat]

Ky. If you go to Google and type in red fox sounds there are several sites where you can hear all the sounds they make and why. Pat.

[Pat]

P.S. Vixens often cock their legs as do bitches in the dog world, it's a territorial thing.

[Kyani]

ah...then I'm not so sure anymore. But the fox did do a lot of barking, and we haven't heard it 'scream' like a vixen yet.

hehe, my mum once stayed at my grandparents' house out in the country on her own by a lake all covered in really creepy mist. She'd just finished watching a really scary horror film when all of a sudden she heard this screaming noise. It completely freaked her out for hours and she couldn't sleep - it was the fox she'd forgotten to feed!
Those foxes were fed for so long they'd make a racket whenever people forgot...

[Words]

Originally Posted by Fourwings

Sounds like he's seeking a lady friend alright - keep watching Ky

Oh.. you mean the fox

[wildone]

All this talk of foxes has reminded me of an experience I had some years ago. I was walking the dog and had just turned into a ride through a wood. What should I see but two fox cubs playing tumble only about 12 meters in front of me. Immediately I crouched down and dropped the dog so that we were off the skyline. The vixen was in the edge of the trees and I could here her speaking to the cubs but she didn't call them away. We stayed there watching for 15-20 minutes. A few days later we did that walk again and I met a gamekeeper standing, with his gun, for foxes. He asked me if I had seen any. With perfect honesty I said 'No', meaning that I had not seen any that day. It was a marvelous experience and one that I am pleased has been brought back to memory.

[Words]

Originally Posted by Kyani

A great big, healthy, bushy and - dare I say it - slightly fat dog fox. I know it's winter, but he was a little too stocky, if you know what I mean

I know exactly what you mean. What I'm really interested to see is whether the dog fox we see loses all the winter weight when the cubs arrive. He was really skinny last spring, but packed on the weight over the year. I'm half expecting all his coat to get worn down by the cubs (they chew on the adult tails apparently).

[Kyani]

I only saw the dog fox once last year, and he looked in far better condition than the vixen. He had a pefect coat. But that was pretty early on in the spring, just after the cubs began appearing, and I'm not sure whether this is the same fox.
It may be my imagination, but I'm sure the face markings are different on this one though.