It could be sad times.
I've not seen our original fox now for a good while, probably 2 months or so. I know him, his ways and that little turned down whisker of his. What has happened, I don't know, I'm hoping he has just moved on with the recent influx of other foxes, we have had 3 in the garden at the same time until quite recently, so maybe he's been forced out of his territory. This is wildlife though and the harsh realities that brings are never far from my mind.
You never know, he may just turn up one night, he's done this before, just not for so long.
There are currently the occasional visits from foxes but one at a time now and maybe once, or twice a week. These foxes are far more skittish than our original one was and I've not been able to tell these ones apart, as they don't come close and always turn up at the dead of night. They will come to our back door but only when it's closed. I see them when they come on the CCTV and occasionally, I leave a trail camera out.
I've been trying to find a food that only foxes will eat. The cats that are currently left out at night during the summer have been wreaking havoc with foods I've put out. Again, I see it on the CCTV. The bowl is often emptied early on at night by the cats, not leaving anything for the foxes at times. I've been using raw dog food (our dog is raw fed) and the cats have acquired a taste for it. It got me thinking, what is a cat unlikely to eat? Biscuits, custard creams in particular, the fox loves them. Not an ideal diet but 2 a night won't hurt, I'm sure they eat far worse out of bins and the like.
This week though has been good, all recent things considered, there have been 2 visits, one through the week and one this morning, about 2am.
It was November 2020 that I noticed a fox visiting. He became a friend and I spent many a happy hour with him. My family too spent time with him, my daughter named him.....Oreo. He would often sit or lie in the garden, just feet away, often for an hour or more.
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I was always careful not to unwild him, we got close to that line, I will admit but I never overstepped it.
One problem I had with him from a photography point of view was the light, he rarely came when it was light and I remember those early days, under a tungsten flood light and the horrible casts I would get with it. I changed to LED bulkhead lights, which gave a nicer, whiter light but still not perfect. He only came on one occasion when there was just enough natural light to photograph him.
It wasn't just about photos though....... but you have to try.
We still have other foxes visiting, Oreo's offspring no doubt. They will get their food everynight and maybe when the time is right, I will get them closer again, we'll see. This isn't the end.