Cyn's Nature Notes: Fox Tales

Wednesday 16 June 2010

Fox Tales

Now the garden is full of flowers and alive with the sight and sound of bees of many types, also several baby birds including robins, blue and great tits, blackbirds, wrens, and long-tailed tits.

Another fox also walks through the garden mid-afternoons, smaller, more ginger than red, probably a female. It didn't have the same strutting confidence of the rich red one, but even so walked through at a leisurely pace. They both seem very at home. I guess they are the same ones who feed here at night.

It's wonderful to see them, but at the same time worrying, because they pass so near to the ducks and fear always hangs heavy within me, like a lead weight, and creeps up to tickle the back of my throat, and then creeps down my arms weakening them, and sending tickly feelings into the palms of my hands. The first time I did nothing but stood with my heart in my mouth and leaden limbs. Now I am able to gather myself together and make my way into the garden, where I stand between the fox and ducks. Neither take any notice of me, or each other!

I am reminded of the time a few years back when we had a lot of ducklings in the garden, and were visited by a fox with designs on them. I saw him cross the garden and I rushed out, as I did so I heard Mrs Duck quacking. She managed to get all of her ducklings on the pond and I breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she flew out of the water and straight at the fox, in so doing she played right into his hands, because as she flew from the pond her ducklings panicked and scrambled from all sides out of the pond, and fled in all directions all over the garden peeping loudly, and by so doing told Mr Fox their positions.

Mrs Duck realised. as did I, what was about to happen: both she and I made straight for the wily fox, he ran right between us after a duckling. The next several minutes were spent chasing the fox around the garden as he chased the ducklings. Eventually, gathering up three in his mouth and leaving several others dead or dying, he left.

Mrs Duck made her way back to the pond with her two remaining ducklings, she was very flustered and I was worried about her, and wished the pond were bigger with an island and duck house in the middle, but at least for today and now, Mrs Duck is safe.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.