Fox cubs

Ahh...how lovely! The noise is dire though!

Lovely photo. They are so shy it is hard to get a good photo of a skulk. They are a love hate animal, I myself love to see them, but then again I don't keep hens or sheep. Maybe if I did I would not be to fond of them.

Two Hares and a Deer in the field here this morning! And wildlife cam. on its way. :)

I just can't quite make my mind up about foxes. I agree that they are beautiful animalrs, and the cubs are very appealing but, as Johnjoe says, if one kept livestock that was at risk it would be hard to love them!

I hope you'll post some of the great pictures you'll get when the camera is installed, Karen. Daughter and s-i-l have one, partly because they are curious as to where the foxes' den is.

This morning I saw three crows attacking a Buzzard! T was incredible...the bird of prey was in real trouble, it couldn't shake them off and they were really angry! They disappeared in to the distance eventually, but that Buzzard will think twice about taking a crow chick next time! nature is full of violence isnt it? The foxes seem to kill for pleasure, and I was reading that Weasels kill far more than they eat as well. That seems very unnatural doesn't it. just goes to prove that nature is no Mother!

I suppose we just have to accept that animals can be both beautiful and also very damaging.

Wow, they are lovely...what a nice hit from the nature, at the end of the garden.

Very true, Karen. My sister witnessed a sparrowhawk attack on a bird on its nest in her front hedge. It was very upsetting but, as you say, just part of nature. It can be too easy to get sentimental about the natural world.

Thanks Katarina. We saw them sunning themselves on the lawn while we were staying there. They are very beautiful.

Oh they are so sweet Mel ! I remember fox cubs coming into the garden at Willow Cottage ! I'm so pleased you got a photo of them !

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They are sweet to look at but I would not welcome them in to the garden. I would not like to see more foxes suburbanised (if that is a word) attracted by easy pickings in rubbish bins and from bread etc. thrown out to attract them. One day OH was building our back wall and as usual Avenger our big ginger tom cat was supervising. Suddenly a terror stricken scream rent the air. Galloping down the field behind the house came a big rat, wailing like a baby. In pursuit was a weasel. Randall jumped down in front of the rat who was silenced by one blow of his mighty paw. The weasel got up on its back legs ready to attack the cat but another mighty swipe and he too lay dead at the cats feet. He would not touch the rat again but he had great fun tossing the weasel about for the rest of the day. He was not interested in eating either. That is nature.

No. As I have already said, I cannot make up my mind about foxes. OH dislikes them mightily, and I wouldn't want them here. My daughter's garden is large, and not very far from open country. There are a lot of foxes in the area. Grandson is now nearly 3, so she is no longer worried about him. They are very careful about the bins. S-i-l has built a fence around his vegetable patch, but they have had trouble with the foxes digging up the phone line. Unfortunately, they are attracted to anywhere that has been freshly dug, so there are often fresh attacks after the phone line has been repaired.

I did not realise they would be so destructive.

I think foxes are great - in their proper place!
I used to keep geese & ducks & have had some losses due to foxes but I feel that was my fault for neglecting to shut them in at odd times.
Foxes are opportunists.
Most fox problems today are due to lack of control since cut backs in farming & farm workers have also led to lack or even no game wardens any more which used to keep the numbers under control.
Ofentimes it is an old or sick fox that takes domestic animals as easy pickings.

Well, like them or not, the foxes are certainly there to stay. There are a lot if them in the area. They intrigue my grandson!