Daytime Squirrel, Night-time Fox

A drizzly start to the day precluded any excursions to the fields before work, but at lunchtime I did manage to stretch my legs though there was surprisingly little to see. In fact, apart from an occasional gull and a few rooks and jackdaws the only wildlife I saw was a local squirrel. The behaviour was quite unlike the London squirrels of a month or so ago. This one was cautious and headed for the safety of the trees as quickly as it could.

Back home, I'm beginning to wonder whether we will see any frog spawn this year. It's late and there are only a few frogs in the pond (five at the last count). A couple of them had their heads above the surface tonight. In this photo you can clearly see the membrane that protects their eyes when submerged.

They were also spotted by a fox (Shutterbug). The frog is the light coloured blob in the right foreground.

Not for long though. This frog at least had a healthy sense of self-preservation and quickly ducked down below the surface.

With teeth like these just a few inches away, I'm not surprised.

Nature Blog Network
Camera note: squirrel photographed with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. I used the EF70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS lens for the frog and fox shots.

This entry was posted in Foxes, frog, squirrel and tagged , , .

13 Comments

  1. RobinL March 10, 2011 at 5:03 pm #

    Words, what a great set of canines! Looks like he's going to be the star of the backyard!
    I like the way the squirrel is sitting so calm with it's hands crossed wait for you to take you leave!

  2. gdare March 10, 2011 at 6:03 pm #

    Do they eat frogs? :left:

  3. wellisteffi March 10, 2011 at 6:03 pm #

    The fox in the last photo looks very dangerous. :eyes:

  4. SittingFox March 10, 2011 at 9:03 pm #

    A real squirrel! 😉

    Our frogs appear later than yours, although we do have frogspawn now (not that I expect it survive – we almost never get any adult frogs out of it 🙁 ) Strange though.

  5. Words March 11, 2011 at 12:03 am #

    Steffi, not really 😉 He was eating!

  6. Words March 11, 2011 at 12:03 am #

    Darko, yes foxes eat frogs :chef: Evidence from a few years ago.

  7. Mickeyjoe-Irl March 11, 2011 at 12:03 am #

    SB looks so close to going for a swim. 😀

  8. Words March 11, 2011 at 12:03 am #

    Adele, yes it seems odd to see squirrels that run away, climb trees and don't expect pockets full of peanuts! Our frog spawn situation changed dramatically overnight. 🙂

  9. Words March 11, 2011 at 12:03 am #

    Robin, yes the fox is doing well, though we do have a very cute badger if only I could get a photo. I will post some trail cam footage soon. The squirrel dashed up there… and taunted me!

  10. cakkleberrylane March 11, 2011 at 5:03 pm #

    WOW!! Huge teeth and an angry expression as well. I'm glas I'm not the objecy of his attention!

  11. Words March 11, 2011 at 6:03 pm #

    Mick, I wouldn't be surprised if he falls in, but it's not too deep so he'll be ok. Wet, but ok!

  12. Words March 11, 2011 at 6:03 pm #

    Lois, he looks scarier than he is. The lips aren't curled back, so this isn't serious.

  13. gdare March 11, 2011 at 7:03 pm #

    Originally posted by Words:

    Evidence from a few years ago.

    :yikes: