John's Mammals 2023 (1 Viewer)

[Richard Prior]

Seems not everyone is as welcoming towards foxes visiting the garden:

Man trains home cameras to help repel badgers and foxes

James Milward went high tech in his quest to stop the animals fouling in his Surrey garden.

www.bbc.com

Next thing he’ll be rigging up a machine gun to the camera

 

[Farnboro John]

Seems not everyone is as welcoming towards foxes visiting the garden:

Man trains home cameras to help repel badgers and foxes

James Milward went high tech in his quest to stop the animals fouling in his Surrey garden.

www.bbc.com

Next thing he’ll be rigging up a machine gun to the camera

The witless Jeremy Vine featured this on his programme today. Not only was it apparent that the Badger issue was more about hole digging than poo but there was a studied avoidance of the word "cat". It is entirely likely that the poo in the perp's garden is largely of cat origin but he doesn't want to alert his neighbours to the act that he is terrorising their pets, so blames Badgers and foxes.

Also, although he was at pains to assure Jeremy that the high frequency sounds wouldn't damage the animals, he admitted his daughter said they hurt her ears - so why wouldn't they do so for Badgers and foxes (as well as cats), which have even more sensitive hearing and use it to locate prey to the inch, making it a matter of life and death for them.

I did enjoy the input of the respondent who said foxes won't poo in a garden where they are fed, so feed the foxes (this is my experience too - cats do it in my garden but the foxes don't!)

John

 

[Allen]

I did enjoy the input of the respondent who said foxes won't poo in a garden where they are fed, so feed the foxes (this is my experience too - cats do it in my garden but the foxes don't!)

Conversely I've found the foxes DO poop in the garden where I feed them as have definitely found fox scats nicely laid out on the lawn for me! Def not cats. Not that it bothers me as very much enjoy feeding them. They seem to have acquired a taste for 'meaty strips' at the moment over the dog food that I put out.

 

[Farnboro John]

Not many mammal species on Shetland this year: Otter strolling across the garden one evening and 1-2 in the bay on a few days, usually distant. Several Hedgehogs including one on the garden cattle grid on the night I bothered to take my camera up to the pub, so photos to post later. No cetaceans at all. Juvenile House Mouse outside our windows a couple of times, pix of that as well.

What we did see in profusion was Rabbits, everywhere. Population very healthy I would say. Shetland is campaigning against Stoats (and perhaps ferrets?) so maybe the brakes are off for the bunnies.

We got home at 1900 two nights ago, put the hall light on to indicate we were back and two foxes were outside waiting to be fed within an hour. Four (maybe five) of the regulars have checked in, Hoppity and Midge among them.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Five and probably all six of our foxes have now put in appearances with Toff looking very large in his new winter coat, with a magnificent long sweeping white-tipped brush and Rusty coming close to identify himself separately from the two other male cubs of this year.

Promised Shetland Hedgehog pix attached. Haven't processed the mouse pix yet.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Juvenile House Mouse pix.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Strange happening yesterday at fox feeding time. I confess I am baffled - though quite happy....

I thought I had a good grip on who is turning up at the moment. In order of seniority it's Hoppity the three and a half year old vixen, Toff the eighteen month old newly adult dog fox, Rusty the male cub of this year currently limping, Midge the tiny vixen cub and the two nameless male cubs of the same litter (by Patch out of Hoppity).

Only it seems that's not quite right....

Rusty earned the right to a name by standing out from his brothers by being the first cub to attend rather than be just "noises off" and by taking his cue from Patch that coming close to the humans was OK. Last night I'd fed nearly everybody including the cub hopping with one foreleg held up, when suddenly a fairly big dog fox - definitely bigger than the two nameless cubs - sauntered confidently up onto next door's patio and paused at the near corner of it, next to our front step - no more than eight feet away, watching me intently. I obliged him with a drumstick chucked only onto the step and he ambled onto it, took the food and returned to next door's patio to eat it: repeat twice and then he trotted away into the darkness with drumstick number 4.

So is that the real Rusty? And if so, where's he been (because I haven't seen this confident behaviour since before we went to Shetland) and what's he been up to to get so big so quickly? If it isn't, and it's an older fox that knows the routine, who on earth is it? It certainly isn't Scally, Smudge or Patch, and Psycho's mad lidless eye would give him away even if he's still alive at four-and-a-half....

Watch this space - tonight I'm going to work with the camera to try to solve the conundrum.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

I have a result and I think I've figured out how I got confused.

The fox I christened Rusty because of his bold behaviour deserving a name before his siblings even appeared, is the one currently coming onto our step (last night about two feet from Maz's ankle). Result.

He's not the one that had the front paw held up, that is one of the two hitherto nameless cubs. I'm fed up with Cubs 1 and 2 so henceforth they are interchangeably Ben and Neb (coincidentally but perhaps appropriately Neb is an old English word for nose, and foxes do have notable noses!)

The confusion I think arose because Rusty had stopped coming onto the step and I think that was because he is very wary of Toff, who is older, bigger and moving in on the territory: instead Rusty came for food only to the right hand limit of our lawn. I've already noticed his current return to boldness occurs when Toff is not around.

I got a bunch of pictures over the last two nights and once I've sorted them out I'll do a roll call of the current foxes. I don't think I've got one of Midge yet and who knows if I've captured both Ben and Neb! Some nice ones of the other three though.

Cheers

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Some Fox pictures. I've yet to catch up with Midge and (for certain) Neb - the one of the two for whom I have compared a load of photos I have decided is Ben.

Incidentally I've got another fox to positively identify - I have my suspicions - but that must wait for a shot that shows the right ear properly.....

Cheers

John

Ben
Toff
Hoppity X 2
Toff
Rusty

 

[Farnboro John]

Caught Midge on camera yesterday. She's a bit over half the size of the male cubs of the year but sturdy and feisty: she's even barked at me when I didn't feed her quickly enough!

John

 

[Richard Prior]

It's a bit like the series Neighbours at your place John (but more interesting!).
Some rather large canine footprints in the snow yesterday morning prompted me to put down a few bits of lamb fatty bits and set up the trail camera last night. Heavy sleet and rain didn't discourage the Pine Marten from taking advantage of the scraps, no other visitors though....

 

[Farnboro John]

It's a bit like the series Neighbours at your place John (but more interesting!).
Some rather large canine footprints in the snow yesterday morning prompted me to put down a few bits of lamb fatty bits and set up the trail camera last night. Heavy sleet and rain didn't discourage the Pine Marten from taking advantage of the scraps, no other visitors though....

Did you measure the footprints? I'm not sure about Golden Jackal but Wolf prints are of the order of six inches (150mm) long.

Example from Spain below.

John

 

[Richard Prior]

Did you measure the footprints? I'm not sure about Golden Jackal but Wolf prints are of the order of six inches (150mm) long.

Example from Spain below.

John

View attachment 1546377

I should have done so straightaway because the snow fell heavily yesterday and covered them up before I got my a--e in gear! Next time.....

 

[Farnboro John]

I should have done so straightaway because the snow fell heavily yesterday and covered them up before I got my a--e in gear! Next time.....

A snap with a marker of known size (I favour the Bic biro, best writing stick ever) even on your phone, is a good idea and easy to execute even without backside in gear.

I envy you the snow: ever since I started feeding the foxes and hoping for a decent fall in which to photograph them it's been more elusive than a Polecat round here!

John

 

[Farnboro John]

I had a walk round Moor Green in the week: two Roe Deer, one a buck, and two foxes curled up in snug spots out of the light breeze and very definitely in the sun. Also a couple of Rabbits but no small mammals of any kind. Damps eaves weren't rustling which didn't help in that line.

This evening it is very cold by local standards and my own foxes started turning up early. Midge took a drumstick and ran off with it but Ben pursued her and shrieks suggested strongly that she was robbed. Within a minute she was back, looked straight at me and barked her head off till I threw her a replacement drumstick - I know my place!

John

 

[PYRTLE]

Caught Midge on camera yesterday. She's a bit over half the size of the male cubs of the year but sturdy and feisty: she's even barked at me when I didn't feed her quickly enough!

John

View attachment 1542531

That is one beautiful and poised animal.

 

[Farnboro John]

Falling down on the job, no posts recently.... I had a trip to the New Forest recently and dropped in on the Fallow Deer buck herd I can usually find. They were in the normal place and I managed to stalk them close enough for some pictures. I put in a holly tree as well, amazing berry crop this year. No Ivy but holly and deer....
Cheers

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Also, I had to make an unexpected trip to Letchworth with Maz, dropping her off to make a visit. Off the leash, I scuttled into town to look for black Grey Squirrels and found about half a dozen. The light was titanically awful but I did my best at the time and in post.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Finally for now, Merry Christmas to all from me, Marion, Hoppity, Toff, Rusty, Midge and Ben.

Cheers,

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Toff seems to be courting a vixen not of our skulk: she's turned up with him (or rather joined him near our door) a couple of times in the last few days and I've seen them touch noses which is unusual except between family members or pairs. She's very wary of me and indeed of flying chicken though last time I tried to feed her she skittered off but came back and took the food. She's quite long and rangy and has a small but neat white tip to her brush. Names don't come to mind yet and anyway I tend to wait and see if foxes are signing up for the long term before issuing them.

John