Cyn's Nature Notes: August 2011

Monday, 1 August 2011

Cyril Squirrel and Young Foxes

It is many days since last I saw Cyril. His visits brought me much pleasure and I miss him.

I do not expect to see him again and will be surprised if I ever do. He never regained his lost weight, and although the two tiny squirrels he brought back with him continue to visit daily, he does not.

His two youngsters are growing apace and although I enjoy seeing them they lack the Cyril's personality; he would be there sitting on the kitchen window ledge patiently waiting for me in the morning. He always took food so gently. During the day, he would come to the lounge window and bang on it with his little hands or if I failed to notice him at the kitchen window would draw my attention to him using the same approach.

The young fox who visits us in the early evening is also growing and has now probably attained his mature height although he is very leggy. His coat is quite dark and the rough outer fur of an adult fox is showing.

All summer I thought there was only one young fox visiting and thought it unusual that he had no siblings. Last evening, we put out the food as usual, but also a large bone -- this would be a treat for him as we do not usually have bones to give him. We sat, eagerly waiting to see his response to the bone. We didn't have long to wait; he came almost immediately. He started to eat the cut up sandwiches and came to the bone, but he did not act as we expected. He picked it up turned, turned back and put it down and carried on eating. The sandwiches were cut up into tiny squares and spread across the lawn, as he ate so he moved further from the bone, but he kept returning to it, at first to pick it up and then just to sniff it.

He was clearly tempted by it and we found it interesting that he was able to resist it and to eat the sandwiches first. We were still watching him when suddenly another young fox darted across the lawn, snatched the bone and ran off with it. This new young fox was smaller and lighter in colour and I think probably a female. Surprisingly the regular fox paid almost no attention to his bone being stolen and after leaping at the other fox, just turned away and continued eating.

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.