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It is more than three months since the foxes were on the blog so high time for an update.  Back then just one cub had shown up and the alpha vixen had disappeared (she hasn't been here since).  The cub was around until late September but I haven't seen it in the past few weeks. This is how it looked in August,

in early September with the smallest of the yearlings,

and in late September with its father.

The dog fox is now going into his third winter as alpha male and he is often the first to arrive in the evening.  This is how he looked in August, lean and scruffy at the end of his moult.

And this is how he looks now, with a shiny new coat ready for the winter.

Three other foxes turn up fairly regularly.  I had thought they were all yearlings, ie 2021 cubs, but I'm beginning to wonder if one might be a new alpha female.  One is broad, well coloured and has long black socks.

Another is slighter in build, paler and has short black socks, seen here on her own,

and here (L) with the dog fox.

Here are the two yearlings on a wet evening.

Short socks turned up last week with what looks like a bite to the face but seemed OK and had no other obvious injuries.  A week later it looks to be healing but she now has a limp.

The third fox is noticeably smaller and is very wary, probably more worried about other foxes than about being near the house.  I think this is one of the three small cubs from last year, which were probably the offspring of the half-tailed vixen, making this the granddaughter of the current alpha male (probably).  He has no time for her and chases her off if he turns up while she is here.

I'll keep an eye on which foxes are here and hope to sort out which of these, if any, is the new alpha female.  The alpha pair usually go around together in late winter so it should eventually be easy to sort out.