Last night (Friday) we didn't see the foxes, but we could hear them in the early hours. They were making loud territorial calls late into the night. The cause is almost certainly a cat that had been prowling around. We heard the cat eventaully beat a retreat, clattering past the bins, but the fox calls continued for a considerable time after that.
There was no daytime fox activity, though while I was in the garden a sparrowhawk glided at low level across the garden. It was a moment impossible to capture on camera. A pigeon came in low over my shoulder and as I looked up the sparrowhawk was passing just a few feet above me at a height of no more than 15 or 20 feet. Wonderful, but all too brief. It was through the trees the other side of the garden in a blink of an eye.
The smaller birds were active though, and easier to photograph. Chaffinches, greenfinches, starlings and blue tits were among the visitors. 
Blue tit
Chaffinch
There was more activity in the evening. One of the newer 'regulars' is a large hedgehog which lurks at the rear of the garden. 
And a wood mouse was lurking in the shrubs, taking a break from its tree-dwelling habits for a spot of grooming.
But the star of the evening was the young nicked-ear vixen. She appeared quite late, and didn't stay long before leaping the high fence to continue her night's hunting. She's very active at the moment. It was presumably her calls we could hear last night, and earlier in the week we watched from a window as she prowled the front garden. Here she is in a more sedate moment.
Camera note: Blue tit photographed with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. Same lens for the chaffinch, but with the 1.4x Pro 300 DG teleconverter, tripod mounted. The hedgehog and wood mouse were taken with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro lens. And for the fox I used the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM.
BitzyMe
6 Apr 2008A really nice set Words!!!
Great shot of the Vixen. She does look so purposeful.
Candid shot of the wood mouse grooming. Really like that.
You had some interesting visitors! What a way to start the weekend!
All excellent shots..each and every one.
BitzyMe
6 Apr 2008Vulpes: I talk to my camera… sometimes not "nicely"
..not receiving help but should probably seek some. 😉
Vulpes vulpes
6 Apr 2008Spoilt for choice of pics here! :up:
UrbanExtension
6 Apr 2008Are you sure you don't live next door? You have all the same visitors as us! Beautiful closeup shot of the vixen, I wish I could get that near to ours, but they scarper if I even look at them from the window. What's your woodmouse called? ours is called Brian…. (don't ask!) Jane
SittingFox
6 Apr 2008*jealous of hedgehog* 😉
Beautiful pictures. I love the chaffinch's "caught in the breeze" look! 😀 And the vixen is looking very pretty.
Vulpes vulpes
6 Apr 2008@BitzyMe: You only have to be nice to living things – seek help when the camera talks back! :eyes:
Words
6 Apr 2008Bitzy, thanks. yes a good start to the weekend, though we got badly blown off track by Sunday's weather.
Words
6 Apr 2008Vulpes. yes it was a day for variety. Not often I get to see three mammals in the garden.
Words
6 Apr 2008Jane, ah but you have badgers as well. The vixen is pretty shy as a rule, so I tend to keep some way back from her. But she was a visitor as a cub so is reasonably understanding. I'm afraid I'm hopeless at naming our visitors. The foxes tend to get descriptive tags just to keep track, but. the mouse is the 'mouse with no name'.
BitzyMe
6 Apr 2008@Vulpes: 😆 :up: Will do! 😉
Words
6 Apr 2008Adele thanks. I'm pleased to see the hedgehog around. The chaffinches seem very active at the moment. Those and greenfinches are the current mainstay on the feeders.