Ever since I started blogging on the much-missed Opera Community, I have been followed by a joke that foxes are, well, following me. Almost everywhere I have been in this world, I have been greeted by one sitting, as they do, watching at a distance.
Of course, they watch me in my garden as well…
This is a vixen known locally as ‘Pretty Face’. She is a veteran member of the Horse Meadows Group, which dominates a large area of my parish. Her tiny muzzle and cat-like ears are so distinctive.
Her neighbours to the north are the Across the Road group, who have had a lively year. Four cubs were born to them last spring; they soon dwarfed their parents – in size, but also in personality, which was no small challenge. This one has become known as the Cavalier Cub. He’s still a nightly visitor.
He has grown into a fox of strange habits. Last night, he stood up on his hind legs with his forefeet on a conifer tree and proceeded to scratch his claws like a cat. He’s very playful, almost puppyish; you can see a video of his games here.
I haven’t seen his mother for a long time. She was a tiny, white-footed vixen who seemed wildly hostile to all other foxes, even her mate.
And another place that foxes tend to turn up is in my drawing book 😉
A Walk with Wildlife 
Beautiful photos and what a stunning painting, Adele!
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Thanks Pete! 🙂
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Your artwork is lovely! Our foxes are very secretive and rarely seen, but I hear them every once in a while.
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Thank you Eliza! 🙂 Our British foxes vary quite a lot in their elusiveness. They are easily spotted in some regions and very shy in others. But yes, always quite noisy!
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Glad to see that your local foxes are healthy looking and playful. Nice video, too 🙂
I am not sure if I told you, when we were on our way to Vernon, BC on December 23, I’ve seen a fox, jumping through a knee deep snow in a field near a farm just outside of Falkland. It was quite away from us but its small body and long tail were enough to distinguish it from a coyote (we’ve seen one hunting just a minute before fox). We were in a car on a busy highway so stopping was out of question. But I was happy for this was the first fox I’ve seen ever since I moved to Canada 🙂
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Oh, that’s great that you saw a fox. They’re not easy to find in BC.
I’ve seen a couple of the garden foxes since I returned from Spain – it feels like I have been away for a long time, but of course it was only a week.
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