Encounter with Red Foxes at St. Nicholas Church graveyard

I have been visiting St. Nicholas Church, its graveyard and the surrounding scrubland and woodland for many years.

I have often seen Red Foxes on my visits but sightings have nearly always been brief and photo opportunities extremely limited as a consequence.

Here are 3 photos that I have managed to get of a Red Fox in the area around St. Nicholas Church, the first 2 taken in December 2016 and the last one in February 2006.

Since I started writing this blog in mid-March 2020, I have been visiting the site at least once a week and I have recorded Red Fox on many occasions.

Today, however, was simply amazing and ranks as my best encounter with Red Fox anywhere and at anytime during my many years of wildlife watching.

Early this morning, I was watching and photographing a pair of Long-tailed Tits coming and going to what was obviously the location of their nest. As I was doing so, I suddenly became aware of movement to my right along a hedge line and, after what seemed to be an age, it dawned on me that I was actually looking at a pair of Red Fox cubs.

This location is also very close to what I had suspected for some time was the entrance to a Red Fox earth or den.

I rapidly took some rather poor record shots of the cubs believing that there would only be a very brief opportunity to photograph them.

The cubs, as I expected, quite quickly ran back in to the hedge out of view but a few minutes later I could see a curious pair of eyes peering out and looking in my direction.

I kept completely still and completely quiet.

Eventually curiosity and boldness led the cubs to re-emerge.

For the next 2 hours or so, on and off and from 2 different positions, I was able to watch at least 2 Red Fox cubs. There could have been more than 2 but this was the maximum number that I saw at any one point.

I also managed to see the vixen on 3 occasions and get a photo of her. On one of those occasions, she trotted past me with a prey item in her mouth. Although she was very close to me (at probably just a little more than the prescribed “social distance”!), she seemed either totally oblivious or totally unperturbed.

Whilst I was watching the cubs, I did wonder how old they were. When I got home, I consulted my 2 books on British mammals and a few websites which helped considerably in estimating the age of the cubs.

Red Foxes have a litter of 4 or 5 cubs which are born in late March or early April. For the first 3 weeks of their lives, the vixen stays with the cubs in the earth or den. After this time, the cubs begin to eat solid food and emerge from the earth or den in early May at about 4 to 6 weeks old. The eyes of the cubs are initially blue in colour but change to an amber colour at 4 to 5 weeks. Reviewing the photos that I took, I would suggest that the eyes are either blue or on the verge of turning amber. Therefore, I would think that these cubs are probably 4 to 5 weeks old.

I will definitely be returning to the location that I saw the cubs today and that will again be an early morning visit since the light is better at this time of day and there is less disturbance from other people.

I will also try an evening visit when the light will be better to watch what I believe is the entrance to the earth or den.

💚🦆 🦉 🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature