The cubs are running

... Just got back after an hour and a half doing our rounds. The new generation of fox cubs are everywhere now and all are healthy. It truly is an amazing sight seeing them streaking across the fields ... competing with each other and of course establishing the all-important pecking order.

All badgers are healthy as well though the old badger boar wasn't out tonight, leaving the young sows to guzzle down the peanuts at their leisure.

Close and humid out and both Mr Cruisedog and I sense moisture in the air ... a band of showers moving in from the south west later.

I've got some vid clips to post a bit later in the week and I think I've caught the young foxes on film ... and of course, the first footage of Meadow Vixen taking food by hand ...

Meadow Vixen

'Meadow Vixen' approaches ...

... it's taken time and patience and tonight I finally got a vid clip of her taking food from my hand ... I've named her 'Meadow Vixen' as opposed to 'My Vixen' - the other older vixen which has been taking food by hand for a long time now. 'Meadow Vixen' has recovered very well from the Sarcoptic Mange after I treated her for over a month with medication from Derbyshire Fox Rescue ... this is probably her first breeding season and she doesn't appear to be taking food to her cubs whereas 'My Vixen' is taking most of her food to her two cubs ... as you can see, she is a very pretty vixen indeed ...

Saturday, 10 July 2010

'My Vixen' taking food ...

... a few minutes later in a different location, 'My Vixen' appears to take food by hand ...

Now two vixens taking food by hand

For the past week a coastal vixen has been approaching to take food from my hand. She has gradually gained confidence the past few months and now she's had her batch of cubs she's come closer and closer and 9 days ago she snatched a piece of meat off me. She's only missed one night from the past 9 days (raining and foxes dislike the wet like cats) and now trots alongsideme as I go to the feeding point. She now takes the food more gently and last night her two cubs darted up to her to try to take the food, but she didn't let them as they now look big enough to catch their own. Until a better name suggests itself, I'll refer to her as 'Meadow Vixen' as opposed to my other vixen 'My Vixen' who I've know for some time now.