when I’m on the plot that I’m happy to just look and not take any photos even though I could have done. One such occasion was a couple of summers ago. I’d finished watering and was sitting down sipping a mug of water when I noticed a fox over on the nearby path. Slowly, and warily, it headed towards the pond, which meant coming very close to me. I could see that although thin it otherwise looked okay but kept stopping and was panting.
I remained where I was and softly spoke to it as it reached the pond which was only a few feet away. It lapped the water, constantly stopping to look at me, before heading back onto the path. I got the impression that had it sat or laid down it wouldn’t have managed to get up again. I watched it pad down the path towards the fence eventually losing sight of it. The next day I walked along where it had gone but couldn’t see it and never did again.
I used to see the resident foxes quite a lot, and had this close encounter with Missy Fox outside the site gates nearly eight years ago.
Recently I’ve only caught a few glimpses of one or two of them but judging by the numerous paw prints I see across the plot they are around after dark.
Have a good week!
Flighty's plot 
I’ve always loved seeing foxes, but as I currently have both badger and fox visitors in my suburban garden I’ve become slightly less thrilled by the evidence of their presence!
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Catherine hello. Much as I like both I do sympathise, and I’m thankfully we don’t have badgers on the allotments. xx
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That’s such a great photo. And how lovely to have seen one drinking so close to you. I’m sure there are all sorts down at our site after dark. Lots of paw prints over ground. And there are juicy rabbits to be eaten as well, all nicely fattened up on organic cabbages and lettuce. Have a good week Flighty. CJ xx
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Cj thanks. It sure was. It’s the same on my site, and I often wonder what’s around after dark. No rabbits hereabouts. Thanks, and you too. xx
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Lovely photo of Missy Fox. And, a nice tale of your close encounter with the other one. Wonder why your fox population seems to be declining?
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Liz thanks, on both counts. Sadly it the same with most wildlife here, it’s all declining due to what humans do. xx
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I agree with Catherine. It’s lovely to see the wildlife, but foxes and badgers do a lot of damage in small gardens, as I know to my cost!
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Mark I do too. I agree, and think that badgers cause the most damage of the two. My sympathies.
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Recently I see paw prints more often than the fox. At plot 34 in the early years, I had a bonfire and cooked sausages and jacket potatoes (because the boys were small) After Mr Plot had taken them home, a fox boldly approached encouraged by the irresistible sausage aroma. I thought he might take the food from my hand but then I wondered about his table manners and threw morsels to him. Quite amazing and never happened again, although there have been many more BBQs
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Sharon me too sadly. That’s a nice story. One of our plotholders used to hand feed our resident ones. xx
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Great post. I hope she slaked her thirst! X
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Cathy thanks. I’m sure she did. It’s not the only time I’ve seen foxes drinking from one of my ponds. xx
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Foxes are beautiful creatures aren’t they? Right up to the point when they get your chickens 🙂 Then they are feared in the same way as a slug! I like my foxes the other side of the fence.
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Andy they certainly are. That’s always a possibility but well built coops should negate that likelihood. Cheers.
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A wonderful photo. We have foxes around here though I don’t see them very often. I’d probably feel differently about them if I kept chickens though.
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Jo thanks. What a shame you rarely see them. That’s not surprising. xx
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Always a joy! She looks very comfortable with you, perhaps you are a honorary fox. 😉
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Gill I agree. She was probably the most friendly one there’s been over the years. xx
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This Fox looks in reasonably good condition. She did not seem to mind you taking a photograph either. I do wonder what, if any, differences there may be between the daily living behaviours of the ‘town’ fox and the country one.
There’s a difference between some urban dwellers’ view of foxes in their lives and a rural one. I should say, I don’t hold with indiscriminate blood ‘sports’. I think I have talked of urban encroachment into the countryside and its knock-on effects, at the time a fox, (or perhaps two) mauled two baby girls in N.E London.
Foxes are not a farmers’ friend. I saw one and in broad daylight, a bit manky-looking, loping up a path at the back of our house a year or so ago, it was quite carefree . There had been one massacre of chickens. There were also ewes and lambs about.
xx
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Menhir that one always looked good and was friendly. I think that there plenty of differences between the two, the former having more contact with humans and bigger scavengers.
Agreed about people having different views about them. I’m sure that story was hyped up by the media as there have been few, if any, other similar reports over the years.
That’s for sure but good farmers will take steps to prevent that happening as foxes do, for instance keep the rat population down. xx
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Hi, thanks for comment.
The two sisters, (from memory, twins ) who were mauled in their home, ended up in Great Ormond Street. There may well have been media hype, however, it did not detract from the fact the the babies were very poorly.
Someone we know of, who has an Allotment in Edinburgh, became friendly with a visiting town fox, which was pictured feeding from her hand. Edinburgh is an odd one because it is surrounded by rurality. You don’t have to go far to be in wide open spaces. I guess that fox may have had the best of both worlds.
xx
Town scavenging takes many forms.
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Good photo of Missy Fox. All beings doing their best to survive.
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Alison thanks. They are indeed, and many animals now struggle because of what humans have done, and are still doing sadly. xx
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