Sunday 3 February 2013

Two foxes

I've had the Bushnell trail camera out again. This time we had a very foxy night.  I believe we have two different foxes here. The first, in the top picture, is quite compact and fluffy looking, with dark ears and a thick, straight brush. It first appeared at 6:37 on Friday evening and sniffed round the grassy area, before disappearing 10 minutes later. The second, a somewhat leggier animal with a small downward dip at the end of its brush triggered the camera at :7:03 pm and again at just after 3 the next morning.


Foxes at Feb, 1 at 6.47 pm and Feb 2 at 3:05 am.
I don't know anything about the relationship between these two animals. They both spent some time sniffing round the same area but at different times. I can't even guess the genders. Male and female foxes are very similar except for size, the male being about 5 cm (2 inches) longer nose to tail tip than the female. It is possible that the more compact fox is one of last year's litter. 

This is the time of year when foxes mate. A few years ago I had the incredible experience of seeing two males wrestling on our front path while the female they were competing for looked on. They were on their hind legs with front paws on each others' shoulders. It looked exactly like they were waltzing.

So are my two foxes potential mates, rivals, or parent and cub? I can't guess at this point but I can keep watching.

2 comments:

  1. Hi, just found your blog. I too live in Uckfield and we have a fox of two that regularly visit our garden, as well as badgers. One fox in particular is brave and let's us go out and watch her eat. We saw her grab a load of food and go and feed her cub then come back for more. So cute and not a mangy looking fox either.
    This is my blog it you fancy following. I do writing and occasionally blog. I did one about a missing shoe which we have put down to the fox taking a liking to it. xx

    http://40somethingundomesticateddevil.blogspot.co.uk/

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  2. Thank you for your comment - and I have followed your blog. Looking forward to seeing more stories. One of our neighbours has had walking boots pinched from just outside her front door. Those foxes are seriously cheeky.

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