Some of the pictures i take don't make it to my website for various reasons, however I know some people would still like to see them, so on my blog I hope to show some of these photos and share some of the foxes stories, and other photography adventures too of course!
Don't forget to check my Urban Fox gallery for the best images, and the Live web cam for all the action as it happens.
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It's been just over two weeks since my last blog, so what's changed? Well not a lot, other than the size of the cubs! For those of you who have been watching since the start I'm sure you will remember just how small they where. Their ears where still flat and they had very short muzzles, but now they're looking a lot more foxy! With their ears developing, so has their hearing and sight. The cubs showed this off just a last week when they started paying attention to a pigeon in the garden, this was the first time they'd really looked at a pigeon. With interest, 4 cubs sat behind mum, Jack, and watched on... One cub couldn't resist going to find out what this funny thing was, so he slowly crept closer and closer. Of course the pigeon wasn't bothered about the tiny ball of fur following it and just wondered off until a noise scared him. With the sound of the pigeon flying off, the cub ran as fast as his little legs could take him back to the den. This didn't put him off for long though and he was soon back out with his eyes on another pigeon. However this time mum decided it wasn't safe for him and she chased the pigeons off herself!
All the cubs are doing well and look healthy, but one cub seems to be a bit braver than the other cubs. This little cub is called 'Socks', named due to his two white back paws! He often follows mum a bit further than he should and pushes his luck by biting her tail! He also seems to be the most dominate cub, as he's often the one starting the fights with the other six. He seems to have quite a big personality already, so I'm sure we'll be seeing and hearing a lot more about him as the cubs grow! Look out for him on the Live CubCam, with his two white back paws!
All 7 cubs are very healthy and there doesn't appear to be a runt of the litter so far. Unfortunately it is still too young to tell how many males/females we have just yet. I am starting to be able to ID a couple of the cubs though, with socks is the most obvious. There are another two cubs with one back white paw which I can also ID apart, and one cub that is much more grey than all the other cubs. So that's 4 out of 7 I can tell apart so far, hopefully I will be able to tell the difference between all 7 soon, and then we can think of names to help tell their story. Does anyone have any name suggestions for some after watching them live? One cub seems to often be alone sleeping in the den, has anyone else noticed 'sleepy'? Any names to fit this sleepy little foxy?
For now, here are some fun pictures of the cubs during their time out, stay tuned for more blogs coming soon. Some of the upcoming blogs will feature things we've seen on CubCam and another will feature lots of shots of the foxes playing!
The cubs don't like being clean!
Sleeping at the den entrance
One cub getting in the way at the front right!
A funny way to sit
A nice relax in the sun..
Can i eat wood?
The cubs will play with anything they find!
5 out of 7
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The foxes always den under my neighbours shed, apart from in 2012 when they decided to den under the shed in my garden. Since then I have hoped each year they would use my shed again, as when they stopped using it in 2012 I set a camera up under the shed, so their very first moments of life in their den could be watched. However the foxes are wild animals of course, and you can never predict them! Each year they dug out under my shed but changed their minds at the last minute. This year seemed similar, the foxes dug a huge amount of soil from under the shed and were digging at it every single night. I got my hopes up thinking I could finally use the camera, however when I saw Jack, the vixen I follow, on the 2rd of March I could see she had given birth but wasn't using the shed. Another year without the camera being used.. Or so I thought.
The next week Jacks behaviour changed, and we noticed that she had moved the cubs under the shed at just days old! I hurriedly set the under shed camera up (without disturbance of course) and since then we have been able to watch the cubs live in the den! A very exciting addition to the 2015 Fox story! We have been able to watch amazing moments such as the cubs suckling from mum, to their first attempts at solid foods, and hopefully lots more still to come!
Once the cubs hit 4weeks old (30th March) they started to look out from the den and wonder around outside. Since then I have been out with my camera documenting their lives. Some of the pictures i take don't make it to my website for various reasons, however I know some people would still like to see them, so on my blog I hope to show some of these photos and share some of the foxes stories, and other photography adventures too of course! Welcome to the blog, I hope you enjoy it!
Don't forget to check my Urban Fox gallery for the best images, and the Live web cam for all the action as it happens.
6 out of 7 cubs!
Staying close to the shed..
Jack can't get away from some hungry cubs!
Never argue with mum!
Mum brings home a mouse for dinner!
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