A tasting menu for the foxes

This was an experiment.  The foxes have been getting mainly dog biscuits in the past year or two, with occasional treats such as a squirrel, a rabbit or chicken skin.  Recently they have seemed less keen on the biscuits so I added some peanuts.  When I did so I could see the fox sorting through the food but I couldn't make out whether it was choosing biscuits or peanuts.  Then the dog turned up the other night and spent 20 minutes eating bits of sunflower seed from below the bird feeder.  So this time I put out three separate lots of feed - peanuts on the left, dog biscuits in the centre and sunflower seeds on the right.

The vixen turned first and started off under the bird feeder.  As soon as she realised there was more food on offer she moved across to the peanuts.  She was happily eating when I saw her ears flatten and her tail curl so I knew there was another fox approaching   It was her daughter from last year (seen here on the left) and they happily carried on eating peanuts.

There was the odd interaction with flattened ears and gaping but it was all quite amicable.

The daughter was the first to notice another fox approaching.

The dog ran in straight to the peanuts so she retreated to a safe distance.  I have seen the vixen very submissive to the dog before but this time she just flattened her ears and carried on chewing.

Eventually all the peanuts had gone and the vixen left.  The dog and the young vixen ignored the  biscuits and moved over to the sunflower seeds.  Although the dog is only her stepfather they seemed very comfortable in each others' company.

Most of the sunflowers had gone when the young vixen spotted another fox.

This time it was her sister, the half-tail vixen.  She made a very submissive entry but was allowed to join in.  All that was left was biscuits but the two sisters carried on eating.

I thought the dog was leaving but he moved over to the bird feeder to glean a few more sunflower fragments.  After a few minutes he and the full-tailed vixen left, leaving the half-tail to finish off the biscuits.

The next night I mixed biscuits and peanuts but put the food closer to the door where I could see.  The dog turned up first and he was clearly picking out the peanuts and leaving the biscuits.  Then the half-tail joined him (she was much less submissive this time) and she was doing the same.

So it seems the foxes prefer peanuts, then sunflower seeds, but will eat biscuits if there is nothing else because they are always hungry.  One other interesting observation is that they eat peanuts much more slowly.  They tend to gobble the biscuits eating several at a time, even though they are slightly larger.  The peanuts are chewed very thoroughly as though they are being savoured.

The fox and the magpie

The dog fox beat me to it this time.  If I put the food out too early the magpies and crows steal it, too late and the foxes are already there.  This was 9pm, so an hour or so before dark, and he was eating the sunflower seeds that had fallen from the bird feeder.  He was being scolded by a magpie in a branch above his head and was very bothered by it.

I noticed some blood on his chest.  I am not sure if it was his or from prey - probably his but he seemed fine.  The next night he was back again and it had gone.  Foxes get a lot of injuries, usually minor, as you would expect from climbing through or over barbed wire fences and the like in the dark.

He was eating for about 20 minutes before sitting down for a scratch and then wandering off to look for something else to eat.  I waited for a few minutes before putting the food out and no doubt he, or the others, were back to polish it off after I had gone to bed.

A takeaway on OtterCam

I haven't seen any sign of the otter cubs since their mother took them through the culvert four weeks ago but there has been another interesting observation on the culvert cameras.  This time an otter was carrying a drake mallard and it had its work cut out dragging the prey up the ramp and over the sluice gate.

My hope is this is the mother otter taking food back to the babies.  Last time they were much too small to be out and I am sure they were being moved in an emergency for their safety.  The fact that food is being carried around does suggest they are still safe but I don't expect them to show up on the cameras again until later next month, when they will probably be about six months old.  The culvert cameras have only shown an otter once every three or four days recently which is a big change.  I expect it means there are no others in the territory at present and the mother probably does most of her hunting by fishing in the lake.  I'll post more videos when there is something interesting. 

The bilberry bumblebee

Also known as the mountain bumblebee (Bombus monticola), I think this is our prettiest bumblebee.  These were foraging on willows in Northumberland this week.  The photos are a bit grainy because the light was poor just before (more) heavy rain but I was very pleased to see them.  I think these are all workers as they were quite small compared with nearby queen white-tailed bumblebees.

These images from the iRecord website show the upland distribution, usually in areas with bilberry, hence the name.  In fact B. monticola also likes willows, gorse, heather, clover, bird's-foot-trefoil, devil's-bit scabious, etc.  My photos were taken just south of Rothbury.

Foxes and eggs

I had a couple of time-expired eggs in the fridge which I thought the foxes might like.  I put one out and the first to turn up was the vixen.  She wolfed down all the meaty bits and then carefully picked up the egg and took it off to hide it. Moments later she was back for some biscuits before leaving again, probably to enjoy the egg.

The next night the dog was here first.  He licked and sniffed the egg and decided to keep it while he ate the meaty bits.

Unfortunately for him, the half-tail arrived and made a grab for the egg.

The dog chased her off but the egg was broken.

He still wanted to keep it for later but half-tail was prowling around.

In the end he decided to eat the egg, even though she got the last of the meat.

After finishing the egg he took his time eating biscuits while the half-tail sat waiting.  When the dog had gone she came over to finish off the biscuits.

This is the first time I have seen these two together and it was interesting that they seemed to meet on equal terms. I can't be sure that the half-tail has cubs although it looked as though she did a few weeks ago.  If she has I also don't know who is the father (this dog fox is not her father).

The tale of the magpie's tail

Like most birds, a magpie should have 12 tail feathers.   I was surprised to find eight magpie tail feathers on the ground below the bird feeders, including all six right-sided feathers and both central feathers (I have rearranged them for the photo!).

At first I thought the magpie might have been attacked by a sparrowhawk but there were no other feathers around. Then I wondered if the feathers had been pulled out in a fight with a crow.  Both birds are regulars under my feeders and they don't get on, particularly at this time of year when they are inclined to eat each others' egg or chicks. A few minutes later two magpies turned up, one with half a tail, and they were chased off by a carrion crow!

The next morning I managed a photo of the magpie while the crow wasn't looking.  It still looks a bit cross.

The magpie's tail will regrow and it seems to be flying fairly normally.  In the meantime I can marvel at the colours in this black and white bird.

The dog fox

With lighter evenings I am starting to see the foxes arrive before dark, especially when it is quiet in the park and they haven't been disturbed by late dog walkers or golfers.  Here are a few photos of the dog fox.  He is a real poser.