A most surprising development (fox news)

Well I thought I had tonight's entry all sorted out. I'd gathered a decent selection of photos during the day.

It could have been about starlings

It could have been about squirrels

It was going to be about newts

But just as I'd finished shooting a series of close-ups of the newt I heard a noise over in the corner of the garden. There was some shuffling under a shrub. Distinctive fox noise, for sure. So I pointed the camera (I still had the macro lens on), and watched. After a couple of moments a fox appeared, but it wasn't the young fox I was expecting. It wasn't Roofy.

Knock me down with a feather, it's the old dog fox!

Now we haven't seen any sign of the old fellow since about March/April when we were treating him for mange. He'd been in a sorry state at the time, but beginning to show signs of recovery. And here he was again, back in the garden looking fantastic. Identifying foxes isn't always easy, and there have been changes in him. Not only has his coat grown back to a glorious state, his tail has lost its old notch. So the identification is based partly on his behaviour, the areas of the garden he visited, his generally calm and unfussed demeanour. And the fact that having had visits from him over a period dating back to early 2005 he has a face that to us is unmistakable.

Fox watching

Typical pose by the old fox

While he was in the garden (it was a fairly brief visit), I noticed that he had a slight limp on his front right leg. There appears to be some thickening around the knee joint, suggesting that he may have suffered a break at some point. The leg seemed marginally shortened when he walked. This is not uncommon and doesn't seem to hamper them (see August 2nd entry for more on fox injuries).

It's always polite to feed a very honoured guest 🙂

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This Post Has 12 Comments

  1. SittingFox

    14 Sep 2007

    Great to see the old fellow back on home ground! 🙂 I wonder if he's noted Roofy's absence and decided to take advantage?

    I usually ID foxes (at least, foxes who regularly visit the garden) from their faces, the same as I would for cats or dogs. The U-Band male was an exception as he had such a distinctive mark on his chest and I often saw him at a distance over the meadows.

  2. Flying Red Fox Blog

    14 Sep 2007

    Yay the Dog Fox is back :yes: i was wondering where he had got to:P Maybe he had an injury and was being treated for it or was recovering for a while, now hes back.

    I wonder if he will produce next years cubs? Lets hope so!:D

    Nice pic od the Starling, Squirrell and Newt too.:)

  3. ALLY_G

    14 Sep 2007

    Yeah, that is a wonderful news, the old fox back in your garden! :up: :up: :happy:
    I guess, you will be very happy, to see him again.

  4. Words

    14 Sep 2007

    Yes it was great to see him back. I'd really thought we'd seen the last of him.

    Mark, yes we wondered whether he'd been treated somewhere. I'm sure he must have at least found a very friendly garden in the area. He looks well looked after and is clearly getting enough to eat (unlike our squirrels!).

  5. gdare

    14 Sep 2007

    It feels like having an old friend come back :yes:

  6. Mickeyjoe-Irl

    15 Sep 2007

    The prodigal returns :hat:

  7. Arnekrilu

    17 Sep 2007

    :up:

  8. cakkleberrylane

    18 Sep 2007

    So happy he's back! And looking so great!

  9. attilasoul

    19 Sep 2007

    I just love the squirrel pic! :yes:

  10. KayFour

    27 Sep 2007

    I am glad to see the old dog fox back again. I missed him, but not, I suspect, as much as you did.

  11. Words

    28 Sep 2007

    Karen

    it may have been a one-off visit. I haven't seen him since although there were some noises in the shrubs in 'his' corner this evening. So maybe…

  12. KayFour

    28 Sep 2007

    Let's hope!

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