A most surprising development (fox news)
Thursday, 13. September 2007, 23:25:41
Well I thought I had tonight's entry all sorted out. I'd gathered a decent selection of photos during the day.
It could have been about starlings
It could have been about squirrels
It was going to be about newts
But just as I'd finished shooting a series of close-ups of the newt I heard a noise over in the corner of the garden. There was some shuffling under a shrub. Distinctive fox noise, for sure. So I pointed the camera (I still had the macro lens on), and watched. After a couple of moments a fox appeared, but it wasn't the young fox I was expecting. It wasn't Roofy.
Knock me down with a feather, it's the old dog fox!
Now we haven't seen any sign of the old fellow since about March/April when we were treating him for mange. He'd been in a sorry state at the time, but beginning to show signs of recovery. And here he was again, back in the garden looking fantastic. Identifying foxes isn't always easy, and there have been changes in him. Not only has his coat grown back to a glorious state, his tail has lost its old notch. So the identification is based partly on his behaviour, the areas of the garden he visited, his generally calm and unfussed demeanour. And the fact that having had visits from him over a period dating back to early 2005 he has a face that to us is unmistakable.
Fox watching
Typical pose by the old fox
While he was in the garden (it was a fairly brief visit), I noticed that he had a slight limp on his front right leg. There appears to be some thickening around the knee joint, suggesting that he may have suffered a break at some point. The leg seemed marginally shortened when he walked. This is not uncommon and doesn't seem to hamper them (see August 2nd entry for more on fox injuries).
It's always polite to feed a very honoured guest 
It could have been about starlings It could have been about squirrels It was going to be about newtsBut just as I'd finished shooting a series of close-ups of the newt I heard a noise over in the corner of the garden. There was some shuffling under a shrub. Distinctive fox noise, for sure. So I pointed the camera (I still had the macro lens on), and watched. After a couple of moments a fox appeared, but it wasn't the young fox I was expecting. It wasn't Roofy.
Knock me down with a feather, it's the old dog fox!Now we haven't seen any sign of the old fellow since about March/April when we were treating him for mange. He'd been in a sorry state at the time, but beginning to show signs of recovery. And here he was again, back in the garden looking fantastic. Identifying foxes isn't always easy, and there have been changes in him. Not only has his coat grown back to a glorious state, his tail has lost its old notch. So the identification is based partly on his behaviour, the areas of the garden he visited, his generally calm and unfussed demeanour. And the fact that having had visits from him over a period dating back to early 2005 he has a face that to us is unmistakable.
Fox watchingTypical pose by the old foxWhile he was in the garden (it was a fairly brief visit), I noticed that he had a slight limp on his front right leg. There appears to be some thickening around the knee joint, suggesting that he may have suffered a break at some point. The leg seemed marginally shortened when he walked. This is not uncommon and doesn't seem to hamper them (see August 2nd entry for more on fox injuries).
It's always polite to feed a very honoured guest
WIDGETIZE
SittingFox # 13. September 2007, 23:41
I usually ID foxes (at least, foxes who regularly visit the garden) from their faces, the same as I would for cats or dogs. The U-Band male was an exception as he had such a distinctive mark on his chest and I often saw him at a distance over the meadows.
Flying Red Fox Blog # 14. September 2007, 03:54
I wonder if he will produce next years cubs? Lets hope so!
Nice pic od the Starling, Squirrell and Newt too.
ALLY_G # 14. September 2007, 05:55
I guess, you will be very happy, to see him again.
Words # 14. September 2007, 06:31
Mark, yes we wondered whether he'd been treated somewhere. I'm sure he must have at least found a very friendly garden in the area. He looks well looked after and is clearly getting enough to eat (unlike our squirrels!).
gdare # 14. September 2007, 13:37
Mickeyjoe_irl # 15. September 2007, 22:18
Arnekrilu # 17. September 2007, 09:08
cakkleberrylane # 18. September 2007, 11:56
attilasoul # 19. September 2007, 05:28
KayFour # 27. September 2007, 22:52
Words # 27. September 2007, 23:05
it may have been a one-off visit. I haven't seen him since although there were some noises in the shrubs in 'his' corner this evening. So maybe...
KayFour # 28. September 2007, 00:33