Photos

A Fox Family

Wildlife trail cameras have given Dave and Judy some wonderful insights into the life in the 11 acre wood we manage near Canterbury, giving us some photographs that we would never have been able to take ourselves. We have the dog to thank for our success back in summer 2022. She was extremely interested in one of the many rabbit holes that there are in the wood. As we pulled her away, we noticed a clump of pheasant feathers at the entrance to the hole which wouldn’t be expected with rabbits. We put a camera on the hole and our suspicions were confirmed the next day when we got the photo of a fox emerging from the rabbit burrow.

We subsequently discovered that there were a pair of adult foxes and seven extremely cute little cubs living down the rabbit hole. The photos show the development of the family, ending when the family moved on to another den. As the cubs grew, they were above ground on their own for a lot of the day. Temperature regulation was clearly still an issue though, and they were often huddled together in a ball. After a while the photos abruptly stopped and it is presumed that the cubs were moved to a different location – it must have been getting pretty unpleasant down that hole after all. We did continue to see fox cubs on various cameras throughout the rest of the summer.

Wildflowers At Mystole Orchard

This batch of photos are of wildflowers at Mystole Orchard. They are all a welcome sight although few are rare, with the exception of the Man Orchid, recently spotted in small numbers and currently protected against voracious rabbits.

Many of the wildflowers have grown in greater numbers this year. This might be a quirk of the weather, which has been unusual to say the least. We hope it is the result of our cutting back grass and undergrowth allowing more light to reach struggling flowers.

Birds In Flight

Taking photos with trail cameras captures how birds look when in flight.

The strength, versatility and positioning of wings and feathers is so different to the impression given to the human eye. With the probable exception of pheasants, who fly with all the elegance of a leaking barrage balloon, birds in flight are balletic, showing the effort and stength required, the versatility and ability to move fast and change direction.

Foxes And Magpies

Birds usually fly away when a fox approaches. We have tracked this many times on the trail camera. Four photos in this set show a failed attempt, by a young and rather scrawny fox, to catch a duck, the duck flies away and the fox ends up in the pond.

There are exceptions. Magpies are sometimes seen to keep feeding even in the presence of a fox. In the next few photos in this set the magpie is eating seeds put down for the turtle doves. These are enjoyed by everything else as well, ranging from mice to full grown buck fallow deer, including foxes.

This may be that magpies are aggressive and the fox has learned it is not worthwhile trying to catch a magpie who might retaliate by pecking?