FABlux's foxes

[FABlux]

I wouldn't mind if they left them on the patio, its the hall I object to, especially in half light with bare feet YUK! Kinnie went through a phase of arranging heads in a row on a paving stone outside the back door, bit like notches on a gun I suppose , or bed head ?

[PRchick]

The disadvantage of a dog door is that every now and then, they'll bring one inside. Our little male dog left a rabbit's head by my bed just a few weeks ago. Nothing else, just a perfect head. I made my daughters search the rest of the house in case there was more somewhere (because the dogs belong to them). I guess it was a present for me but not one that was appreciated.

[FABlux]

Oh that is revolting, like something from the godfather on a smaller scale, BB says sounds like an offer you couldn't refuse!
LL we certainly hope so, he seems interested in her scent & he is brave and yet non aggressive, a perfect companion from our perspective, don't know how she feels, they haven't met to our knowledge yet. I'm sure she'll tell me when they do

[dab19]

Have you got the cameras going all night, Fab....or are they triggered by something?

[BBLUX]

Used to use a PIR trigger but it had a very defined and limited detection area. We also realised we were missing interesting stuff because the recorder took about 2 seconds to spool up and start the recording...had lots of tails going out of shot etc. Now with the whole garden flood lit with red and infrared light we can use a wider angle shot and the recorder runs all night. We get 8 hours on long play. Tried 4 hours standard play but tended to miss action in the early hours. This equipment has only cost me £50 so far and that was for a high power infrared unit. Rest of it is cast offs from work plus some home building.

Ideally I should use the PC and feed it into the video capture card and record straight to hard disc. Maybe next year if I can scam an old PC cos ours is heavily used by Fran for work...andL4U

[FABlux]

Had a chat with Missie last night, whilst we were watching Tufty in the garden. Along the lines:
M - I've smelt him, what is he like? Is he as big as Roley?
F - No, but he's younger
M - Oh about my size?
F -Yes
M -OH
I showed her image of him coming down first time, quite timid
M - Oh Not brave ?
F - Yes, sensible he had never been here before, you came down with Mum and your brothers, he's alone
M - Oh
Then sent image of him now bouncing down confidently
M - Why is it B & W, we see in colour even at night?
Image I got was sort of like water colour wash, if that makes sense, not full colour ?

[Quinonostante]

WOW

[Connie Tindale]

Whenever I log in I come straight here to see if there is any more news of 'our' fox family. I think that many of us are seeing these lovely creatures through new eyes since this line started. Nobody could support fox hunting with hounds after reading this.

[BBLUX]

Only just reviewed the tape from Thursday night after Fablux's conversation with Missie. Now we know the reason. Missie came early for food and just happened to be there when Tufty arrived


Tufty came back to eat many times during the rest of the night and Missie nearly always seem to arrive for food just after he had arrived


At one point Missie came down the bank just as Tufty started to go up. They both turned the same way...just out of camera view and the sound track contained sounds of interest and not aggession.

If they do get together I hope it won't be in front of the camera otherwise I will be making a fox porn movie

[PRchick]

[Connie Tindale]

How wonderful it would be to have three generations of the same family in your garden - or would they leave for their own territory?

[BBLUX]

An interesting point LL. Mum has always said she wanted Missie to stay close. In the very early conversations Mum had said that she felt very alone and afraid during her first pregnancy because her mother was not around to give advice and support. The inference from these comments suggests that if Missie does set up with Tufty it will initially be quite close by so Mum can give support.
The next complication is that generally if the alpha female falls pregnant other females in the group who may become pregnant will abort and support her. Now, as we know, Mum has just lost a litter so may be intending to try again next year. Interesting times ahead and no doubt Fran as surrogate elder for Mum will be asked for advice

Its bad enough counseling your own children but a family of foxes

[BBLUX]

On Saturday night Missie and Tufty met in the garden again. Feeding very close to each other and on some occasions sitting down which shows they were very relaxed. (Tufty in foreground)




The next picture is not as it appears. Missie is vocalising a low gutteral throaty sound similar to the one which Mum uses to greet one of her family. The mouth is opened very wide and it sounds as if she is clearing her throat.



I'll leave Fablux to describe the conversations of the last couple of days.

[FABlux]

How wonderful it would be to have three generations of the same family in your garden - or would they leave for their own territory?

I am unsure about this one. Mum was surprised to see that my mother & I live nearby and regularly see each other. To her the fact that I have "cubs" of my own but still see her is strange, so maybe she will expect Missie to make a life of her own away. As BB says she did want Missie to stay around & learn parenting skills from her, but she expected to be the parent, with her next litter, not Missie! I don't know how she will react.
When Missie woke this morning, about 11ish her first thought was of Tufty & to tell me she met him in the field last night! As we saw from the tape he then followed her in to the garden & they spent a long time together.
We made a new, improved, shelter behind the summer house, with a felt roof! & she checked it out, the front was fine but when I went round to show her the back I got told off! What's the point of looking down from above, get down to my height!! Sorry! Funnily enough even BB felt it & he doesn't normally link to them. After crouching down it was given the seal of approval, provided we removed one (dead) plant, which we did.
Mum knows about Tufty, so maybe they will just live together, I don't know about Kinkie either, he appears extremely male at the moment, we don't normally notice but it's difficult not to when he turns away at the moment

[FABlux]

Q Do you mind, he's lovely ?

[sue]

I love this page, how great you can get such wonderful pictures. I keep wondering where our foxes have got to, John says they are still about but they have not walked across my field when I am about lately. I would love to have a set up like you have for capturing their movements.

[FABlux]

Sue, we really are lucky, especially as when we set up the cameras it was to see the hedgehogs. The foxes came later. BB got a £100 voucher for Argos, no idea what to use it for & saw & the camera with infra red was £99. He linked it to the video & away we went. We startted with just infra red lighting which he made up, then improved over time. Now they are quite happy with the red light bulbs as well, hence the better pictures.
Yesterday Kinnie bought us in a dead mouse, we were just about to dispose of it when we both thought, keep it for the foxes, can't waste good food! We had to laugh, think they're taking us over.
We went out for the evening, so apart from the mouse under the table & 1 day old chick, (don't ask) we intended to feed them when we got home. Said we would be late, told Mum when we were on our way home in our tin box & she said Missie & Tufty had been down in the garden "waiting" Seems happy that Missie has found a potential partner whilst still in a secure home. She met up with Kinkie when she was looking for somewhere to live, bit of a "shotgun" arrangement. I said he was lovely though & it had worked out well & she agreed & went all gooey

[sue]

I collect fat dripping from the roasted meats and keep the top fat for cooking but put the Jelly fat out on the garden that seems to attract them.
Sure ours will wander by soon sometime, do so love yours though and the wonderful relationship you have built up with them I can completely understand how they could take over.

[BBLUX]

Sue,
We also collect the fat dripping. The jelly is made into sandwiches (furs as they call them) and the fat part I use to soak into bread. One day I had to heat the fat to soften it and then put the bread into the hot fat. I decided to leave the heat on for a while and effectively made little pieces of fried bread. When this had cooled I put it out. A great success as it had a crunchy texture and the message was sent back through Fran for me to do that every time because it was so tasty and crunchy.

So now when ever we have dripping (chicken is favourite) I have to make fried bread pieces just for the foxes....they are definitely controlling us now

[FABlux]

Missie popped in whilst we were watching the Egypt tape from Sunday & thinking "been there" She asked "Have you, can I be there next time?" "Of course!" (she was born just after we came back this year but she found Greece interesting, sights & smells.
Tufty had been looking at the camera quite intently the night before & I asked her why? She had told him we see them through the camera & he thought he would be able to see us as well! She was quite amused & told him that "No. Humans are secretive & hide away at night!" I suppose it's because we deliberately avoid direct contact with them, but it did make us laugh.
She also asked why the pictures of Egypt were in colour but the ones of her were B & W? I said her's were at night, Egypt was day. I'm not up to explaining infra red to a fox!!