Word gets around

I think every fox in the neighbourhood now knows about the free food on offer every night in my garden.  Last night there were three sat side by side outside the back door although I wasn't set up for a photo.  They generally arrive before 10pm and I usually watch through the window or just leave them to it, although occasionally I set the video camera.  One recent evening the camera recorded 124 30s clips which, with a short gap between each, means that there was over an hour of recording.  The first fox to arrive at around 9.50pm was this one. According to the timings on the videos it stayed for about 10 minutes.

Forty minutes later there were two more.  At first the second one lay down a few metres away and just watched.  I presume the first one is the dominant animal.

They obviously are prepared to put up with each other but there is some competition for access to the peanuts.

These two eventually disappeared and a fourth one arrived at around 11.15pm, to be joined by a dinner guest.  The fox is wary of getting too close to the hedgehog.

You can clearly see on this clip that the fox is injured.  It has a limp and a painful swollen right lower leg.  I reckon I have seen this one around for several weeks now.

If the fox gets too close the hedgehog flinches but doesn't retreat.

Eventually the hedgehog has had enough (of the food or the fox) and leaves.

Later still, around 2.30am, a fifth fox arrived.  It was thinner, and presumably younger, but there wasn't much food left.

It was reduced to catching worms on the lawn (and slurping them down like spaghetti).