Mild, dry, no rain. I had a good feeling about this evening. We spent a long while sitting outside in the garden waiting for something to happen. The wood mouse was out playing on the feeder, and the newts were sauntering on the surface of the pond. And every now and then there were soft rustlings from the far side of the fence.
After an hour or so, with the chill getting to us we went inside. But kept watching. I'm glad we did. From the window we saw a fox up by the pond. It was hunting. We watched as it stalked and leaped, and circled around. It was hard to see who it was, and the brush was thinning. This first fox in just short of two weeks. I wasn't about to disturb it. This first shot was taken through the window, without flash on a longish exposure. The minimal lighting is from my mag-light.
Curiosity eventually got the better of me and very quietly we crept just outside the door. The fox was above us in the garden, still by the pond and still leaping. We got lots of rear-end views!
Creeping across the patio to get a better vantage point I was eventually rewarded with this shot. It's the nicked-ear vixen, clearly no longer pregnant and I would guess that her ragged brush is the result of cubs using it as a teething ring!
Altogether we watched for just shy of 10 minutes. I don't know what she was after. Possibly a mouse or a frog or newt (I know it seems harsh, but mainly the mice stay well out of reach in the trees, and the pond provides a handy escape route for the amphibs so the populations won't suffer), but she looks in good shape. She finally retreated out of the garden through one of the regular exit points under the fence.
A good night!
Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.
Vulpes vulpes
1 Apr 2008😀
:happy:
😀
cakkleberrylane
1 Apr 2008We'll be looking forward to pup photos!!!
Words
1 Apr 2008Lois, oh I hope so. I'm just so pleased that she's still around. It had become spookily fox-free for a while.
cakkleberrylane
1 Apr 2008Wonderful photos! Perhaps she will bring her cubs to your garden sometime??
Words
1 Apr 2008Vulpes, yes 😀 😀 😀
Vulpes vulpes
1 Apr 2008I forgot… :yes:
FrogBoots
1 Apr 2008Does anyone know what the story is with these changed avatars? I tried to change mine back to a frog, but I'm still getting the google-eyed cartoon. :irked:
Words
1 Apr 2008LOL! 😆 A MyOpera April Fool!
Vulpes vulpes
1 Apr 2008I may be a monkey but I 'aint no fool! (except on the odd Tuesday perhaps :p)
Vulpes vulpes
1 Apr 2008(I appear to have turned into a monkey…I'm not worried…yet).
CedarFox
1 Apr 2008I like her expression in the last shot
Hmm, it seems I can’t stop smiling at these avatars! 😀 😆
BitzyMe
1 Apr 2008Ahhh HAHHH! Cubs… I thought so…!
Opera April Fools Day.. Of course! 😆 😆
I kind of like mine 😀 I think I'll save it and use it as an alternate.
Words
1 Apr 2008The avatars had me going into 'I've been hacked' frenzy for a minute. But I'm now having real problems taking the comments seriously. I just look at the avatars and crack up 😆
SittingFox
1 Apr 2008Great news Words! :hat:
Yes, I nearly had a fit when I looked at Opera this morning and went running to the feedback forum…where it seemed that I wasn't the only one to have forgotten the date! 😆
Flying Red Fox Blog
1 Apr 2008Ok how did mine change? 😛
Flying Red Fox Blog
1 Apr 2008Cool: I hae noticed the avatars looking a bit different and funny 😆
Words
1 Apr 2008These avatars are doing my head in!