Plodding on

I am not so active as I used to be but the foxes do not let me down and visit me every night.  We have now got some noisy dogs next door which have upset some of the foxes and it ha taken some weeks for them to settle down again.

My  only trouble at the moment is getting my pictures onto the computer, I had to replace some of the system and what I was sold was nowhere near as good as my old system and I have had to learn all over again on how to use it. I shall master it if I have time.
 

Hello again

 

Sorry for the delay in my blog but I have been fighting a vicious cough. I caught it around the start of June. During the month I kept my I on the foxes which turned up on time every evening often laying in the grass waiting for me. Feeling a lot better now I returned to the keyboard.

This shot shows just how much they trust me. This was taken from my window early one morning.

Waiting

Dad fox patiently waiting on my doorstep for me to open the window and get his supper.
 

Fox supper time

Coming up to midnight and Dad fox checks the supper for his family who will be along later.

All o.k. looks up at me to say thankyou.

He really enjoyed  his meal. You can almost see a smile on his face.  All the time he is eating I talk to him which keeps him calm and when he has finished his meal he will sit for a while as though he likes my company.
 

My favourite fox picture

 This was one of the first pictures of the foxes in my garden when I started to feed them on a regular basis. This one soon cottoned on to me being a friend and would not harm it. I feed it when I go to bed in the evening it sits outside and waits for my room lights to go on, it then runs up to my window and sits waiting for to feed it. I throw the biscuits out and it will leap up in the air and try to catch them. I talk to it while it eats and I often get a response in the form of a whimper or grunt. It picks out all its favourites and leaves the rest for his family to come along later and clear them up. Perhaps one day I will be able to stroke and make a fuss of him.

Dad fox has come back

 Dad fox had a bit of trouble with last years youngsters. He disappeared for a couple of days. When he returned he brought a friend with him. I am yet to find out whether it is male or female. They were quite happy to feed at my feet.

Foxes of my garden

Foxes love my garden. They visit every night for their supper.

Then they play or lay on the grass and relax.

They have friends who happily join them for a snack.

Always look up to the window to see if I'm watching.

 I've learned a lot about foxes during my life, They are not sly but clever and knowledgeable. many years ago they lived with humans like a dog. This is why they adapt quickly to the living alongside humans. They wait in the garden at night and when I turn my room light on they run up to my window for their supper.  I met a man many years ago who lived with foxes and he gave a talk to members of the photographic club and one of his foxes came along too. It was quite happy with all the people around it and behaved just like a dog. I visited his home later and his foxes were out playing in the woods. A neighbour told me that the foxes were no problem at all. They lived locally as wild creatures.

My favourite fox

Sometimes he calls round in the daylight but finds the birds have eaten his food.

This little fox has become a real friend. He lays down on the grass outside my bedroom window and waits for me to go to bed. When my bedroom light goes on he jumps up turning the security light on. I throw his biscuits and grapes (which he loves) to him to which he leaps into the air trying to catch one. He then calms down and I talk to him while he eats his supper. He is very regular and comes at about eleven o'clock every night. His family used to come too but he is on his own now.

 

At last.

 Its all happening in the fox world. I was evacuated during World War 2 to a little village in Yorkshire where I lived with a lovely family. The son was the lead singer (Alwyn Fernhead ) of the Radio Revellers. Who were very popular during the war. His father had a government job at a local factory. He was also a brilliant photographer and even at the age of 5 I learned a lot about photography.

We had foxes visit the garden and I got to learn how to treat them. So when I moved to this house over 10years ago I found the knowledge I had gained very useful. Living next to a wood the place was infested with rats. I decided the best way of dealing with the problem was to let nature deal with it with a little help from me.

With a bit of encouragement from me the rats disappeared in a couple of weeks and nothing has been seen since. The foxes won and now have the freedom of the gardens. Some of the family have left but Dad remains and I believe a new family is on the way.

I do hope so, they are a delight to have them visit. I call them and they come, I talk to them and they listen. They no longer run away when I approach them.

There is evidence that red foxes lived with man as a dog.

Fox update

 The foxes have stopped coming. Dad fox has chased last years cubs off so I imagine he has a new family somewhere. He comes round for his evening meal each day with no sign of the rest of the family. He has a favourite biscuit and loves black grapes which he scoffs before the others see them then leaves the rest for the cubs when they arrive a couple of hours later. I am hoping for some new pics soon.

White Red Kite

These are pictures of a bird that you will not see very often. I spent near 20years travelling to Wales to photograph the red kites and I was only able to identify 4 birds.

It is a normal red kite but lacks a substance called melanin in its skin, this puts the red colour into its feathers so I am told. It has no physical defects or handicaps.

This lacking of colour make it into something spectacular when in flight. It is not rejected by normal red kites.

This picture was taken at Gigrin farm, which I visited many times during my younger years.
 

Peregrine

Before Jacque and I ventured into Wales we worked in a friends Bird of Prey centre to gain a bit of knowledge of the birds that we were going to photograph. The birds shown are mainly peregrines.

You would be surprised at what you can learn by just handling the birds.

You really can get to know their ways and it is an experience that I will never forget. Jacque found a way of making friends with a peregrine chick.

Beautiful bird that my camera's will always be ready for.
 

This is how it all ended

Well you saw how it all started well this is how it all ended. Well almost, in fact later in the year I found the nest just a short distance away.

There were two youngsters in it. I watched them grow until the day they took to the wing.

A pair of handsome young peregrines. I only wish I was fit enough to visit the site this year.

 

Friendly peregrines

I was watching a peregrine high in a tree when it was joined by another and to my surprise they became very friendly.

They started to make a lot of fuss of each other. 

I had witnessed the start of a pairing. they were two young birds that eventually mated and produced a family. I shall check in the next couple of weeks to see if they are still together.

This happened two years ago.

 

Peregrines at play

Although peregrines sit around much of the time when they move they become extremely active.

This one I  estimated to be doing about 80mph.

They love play fighting and are often seen scrapping in the air.

This one is for adults only.

 I have seen as many as five birds playing together. This activity can go on for hours.

Peregrine nest

As I promised here is some more nest shots. 

As you can see the youngsters were quite happy with my presence.

This pair are from an earlier brood of a previous year.

The  youngsters would wander around the nest ledge the other side of the ravine from me.

One visit Dad landed just a few metres behind me on my side of the ravine I grabbed this shot before he realised I was there.

They often flew close over my head. These photo's were taken a few years ago but I understand the site is still in use.
 

Welsh peregrines

Having made many trips to Wales over about 25 years I learned of many nest sites. This was my favourite hidden in the Elan valley. A river runs through a deep gulley in the side of a mountain and on one side was a nest. It was possible to get within 20m across the river, ideal for the camera. The birds soon got used to my presence and enabled me to get good pictures.

I spent many hours watching these birds dashing past.

They flew over my head and soon got used to me.

It all went well during the winter months and the birds got to ignore me.

 The nest was about 20m below this perched bird so you can see why I visited the spot many times.

More to follow.