Cyn's Nature Notes: Feeding the Foxes and the Magpie and the Sour Milk

Sunday 3 August 2014

Feeding the Foxes and the Magpie and the Sour Milk

Sometimes as well as the usual food we leave out for the foxes, we also put out other morsels, this happens for various reasons, maybe we have something left over we think they would like, other times we like to find out how much of an omnivore the foxes really are.

Most food put out is devoured, broccoli and cauliflower, need to be disguised either in a sandwich or with gravy over. Eggs are a real favourite and they also enjoy an occasional drink of milk, the container is usually licked clean, I suspect they really enjoy the spread scrapings at the bottom of the tub also.

Last night we left them a drink of milk in an old plastic spread tub, this morning it was mostly gone, there was just half an inch left in the bottom, during the day this curdled in the hot sun.

Mid afternoon it was approached by a magpie, who tentatively dipped his beak in to the container. On bringing his beak out, it was clear the milk was now solid as he had a lump of it in his beak. Undeterred he tipped his head back and swallowed it, the magpie then continued to eat the very sour milk until the container was empty.No wonder magpies are such survivors, I have not found anything they do not eat - even the broccoli and cauliflower left by the foxes, is soon devoured by the magpies.

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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.