It's a cold, wet, February morning. The rain is dripping from the window panes and turning the garden into a muddy bog. There's no sign of a fox anywhere. On a sunny day, they might be dozing on the lawn even in daylight, but I imagine that right now they're curled up in hollows at the base of trees, under sheds, in fact, anywhere where they can find shelter and warmth. It would be a hungry fox indeed to stray abroad on a day like today.

That seems like a long time ago In fact it is two years to the day since I penned my first blog post. Today can hardly be compared - it is stunning out there!

I don't want to spend too long reminiscing as I had the "end of year" post not so many weeks ago, but it is interesting for me to look at that the archives and see which characters are still part of the drama.

2nd June 2006 The night before last, [the Survivor Vixen] went as far as mock attacking Takahe. This is probably the first time in her life that she has had something of "her own" to guard. In fact, she is treating the cagetrap as her own miniature territory!

Last night she paid the price. The Old Dogfox, usually so benign, started growling at her, a strange nasal growl, sounding rather like a dog with a blocked nose. But for a fox, it was a fearsome noise. Instead of heeding the warning, the Survivor Vixen stood her ground. He attacked. He chased her under a bush from whence came a plethora of squeals, whines and screams. Foxes do a good line in sounding like they are being murdered but I doubt any physical contact was made by either protagonist - it is about intimidation and implied power.

She escaped from the bush, only to be chased under the hedgerow on the other side of the garden. She dropped to the ground; he followed suit, still growling ferociously. She got back to her feet to be hounded out of the garden, with the Fringe Vixen blithely lolloping behind with all the compassion and tact of a schoolboy witnessing a punch-up.

Ah, foxes. Never a dull moment...

Garden fox

Meadow fox (This is a crop of a 500mm picture, by the way!

...especially when golf balls are involved. Another one has appeared half-cached in the garden

But my blog has gradually expanded to include all manner of animals - wild, feral, domestic, British, Indian, American, African, Canadian - and occasionally albino! That famous squirrel was feeding on cones this morning.

Green woodpeckers were playing hard-to-see (note how well camouflaged it is!)

But sparrows are easier, although they are becoming pretty localised. I haven't had any in the garden for years, but there is a small colony on a farm where I do a lot of photography.

I cannot get fresh pictures of the non-British creatures quite so easily, but here again is my North American carnivore video, my favourite of my own videos and probably the hardest to make!

I still don't know where I'm going on holiday this year...if anywhere...

Thankyou again to everyone who's dropped by over the last two years! I wonder what will happening with the foxes in a year's time?

I'm having one of those strange days when the usual suspects are being a bit elusive and all kinds of random, unusual sightings are coming my way - a mallard flying low overhead (a mild shock in this dry area), a loud, angry chattering in the bushes (quite likely a group of small birds mobbing a roosting owl), and multiple parakeets squawking in the trees

And the traditionally awkward-to-photograph great spotted woodpeckers...

...are no longer merely drumming, but fighting! Well, almost; I saw one being hotly chased by another this morning, something I've never observed before. I got a hurried snap as they ended up in a distant tree.

Even the horses were a little unusual today; as well as the adults of questionable temper, I saw these two charming youngsters in one paddock

Meanwhile, back in the garden, food is still causing some confusion, even for the foxes.

I've learnt that peanut feeders and bird cake are actually fox food, and, of course, that most bird seed is actually squirrel seed.

Recently I bought some "real" squirrel food, labelled as such, from a store. I had some doubts as to the theory proposed on the packaging that providing such food can lure squirrels away from bird feeders, but it seemed like an interesting exercise regardless. Naturally, I now generally have one or two squirrels eating "their" food, and the rest of the group busy on the bird feeders, and I'm wondering if we're going to equal the garden's record of twelve squirrels soon. I saw eight there together this morning

Even so, the squirrel food has been disappearing suspiciously quickly. I rigged up the trail cam because I wanted to know if anything else was taking advantage. The results were interesting

Direct link

What I cannot see is what exact ingredients the foxes are consuming. I presume they would prefer nuts over banana, but one cannot be too sure

Update 18:30pm Adding to the unusual feel of things, One-Eye came very early tonight - 4:30pm! He will overlap with the Old Dogfox if he carries on like this. But it was pleasant to see him in semi-daylight for once.