There are strange sounds in the night. Eerie echoing calls, high and screeching. The foxes are preparing for mating.
We've been watching and listening by the back door. The sound of foxes in the distance is unmistakable, and we're beginning to think that the absence of our regular fox is because at this time of year the males stay very close indeed to the vixens. And while the fox is away, the new foxes move in.
They're still quite shy, but getting bolder. One fox came to within about 15 feet of the open door tonight, and has been back several times since. And another, briefly, appeared at the rear of the garden.
The newcomer making off with an egg:
