Date: 21st June 2023
Time: from 5:30 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 16°C to 18°C
Whilst I have visited the site more recently, 29th May 2023 was the last time that I specifically went with the intention of watching and photographing the Red Fox vixen and cubs.
On arriving at my usual location for watching and photographing Red Foxes, it was clear that “no mow May” had ended and the long grass in the cemetery area adjacent to the church had been cut. This enabled me to settle down in my bag hide at a slightly different spot after scattering some dog food and dog biscuits at the front of the hedge.
The Red Fox vixen appeared from my right within 10 minutes and I was able to watch and photograph her in front of the hedge on several occasions over the next 30 minutes or so. As on my previous visit, I had no sightings of any of the cubs.
Photo: Red Fox
After another successful session, I walked around the area to the south of the church and down to St. Nicholas Lane. I had a very brief sighting of another Red Fox as it ran along the track from “Hilly Road” into the wooded area and I saw what I believe was the same vixen that I had been photographing relaxing in the sun in the eastern section of the cemetery.
Bird activity was reasonably subdued but I did see 2 Common Whitethroats together in the south west corner of the site although I was unable to deduce if this was a breeding pair, an adult with a juvenile or 2 juveniles. However, encouragingly, this is the third different location around the site that I have recorded this species this year.
Other notable records included the following: Blackcap (1 singing male heard), Chiffchaff (1 singing male heard), Green Woodpecker (1 heard calling very distantly as I walked up Church Hill), Greenfinch (1 heard calling very distantly in the area to the north of the track from Larkins Tyres)
Remarkably, even though it is not even July yet, some of the Hawthorn bushes are already producing their haw berries, albeit still green rather than red at the moment.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows
(heard only records in italics):
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