Snow

Up until about a week ago it looked like we would make it out of this winter without any snow.  However, last night we had a considerable fall of the white stuff, making this the third winter in a row with considerable snowfall.

One good thing is that I was able to follow the tracks of a fox to discover where he had entered, and have therefore attempted to block his access via that route.

Goodbye, strawbs

I think I'm going to dig up the strawberry plants. On 3 occasions recently a young fox has managed to get inside the netting and trample on the plants and eat the strawbs. Yesterday I saw a fox inside the netting and went outside to chase it off, but the fox couldn't get out. As it ran around inside in panic, I was wondering how I could get it out without getting bitten. Suddenly it ran at the netting and tore its way out. I thought that at least the fox wouldn't return after having such a terrifying experience, but in the evening I saw it, or another fox, inside the strawb patch again.

The strawbs are attracting foxes into the garden.

Also, taking the netting off and replacing it every day while picking the strawbs is becoming tiresome, and digging the plants out will give me space to grow something more substantial.

Not sure when I will dig them up.

Foxes attack mini greenhouse

Today I noticed that the foxes have chewed holes in the plastic cover of the mini greenhouse. I have tried to protect it with plastic mesh.

Wind and fox cubs

The windy weather which we have had for the last three days continued today. What I feared might happen, did - the mini greenhouse blew over. Fortunately I had most of the seedlings out in the sun - only a few spare seedlings got destroyed. I have now placed the mini greenhouse in the garage and will keep the seedlings in it overnight.

This afternoon I heard foxes in the garden. When I went out I found an adult and about 5 fox cubs, who were playing with a dead pigeon. I chased the foxes away and disposed of the pigeon.

Foxes - the next generation

Spotted this fox cub in the garden today. I think I saw two cubs later on, but there was no sign of an adult fox. Forgot I can't flip the camera when taking video.

Fox intrusions update

For some time there hadn't been much evidence of fox activity, but over the last 2 days they have caused some damage. It seems to me that the corner access point has been successfully closed off, but my attempts to stop the foxes getting over the fence on the other side have failed. However, I am planning further efforts to stop fox access.

Foxhole

Yesterday I noticed a fox had dug a hole near their corner entry point that I attempted to block off a few weeks ago. This suggests that the blocking-off has been successful and it was trying to tunnel through to the other side of the fence.

So yesterday I put a paving slab over the hole, but today I saw further digging had happened at the edge of the slab so I put another slab there.

Fox digs up courgette

I planted a spare courgette here, but a fox has dug it up.

Fox damage on runner beans

The first pic above shows a hole dug by a fox next to the runner beans. The other photos show damaged growing points of some of the runner beans (presumably damaged by the fox). Fortunately, other growing points are developing so hopefully the plants will be ok.

Foxes still around

I have been trying to block off any known fox entry points around the garden, but this morning I found a tub had been turned over. On righting the tub I found a crushed snail, so evidently the fox had been hoping to dine on escargot.

Fox tracks

Foxes dig up spuds

While watering the spuds in the garden this evening I noticed that the foxes had dug up some spuds from one of the plants. I placed paving slabs and old roof tiles around to try and deter further raids, but from my experience with the strawberries, now they know there's food there, the foxes will be back.

B*st*rds.

Foxes attack lettuce

A fox has attacked the lettuce plants, digging up those at each end of the trough.

The fish incident

When watering the strawberries this afternoon I noticed a lot of flies around. Then I spotted a partly-eaten large fish under a nearby bush. I buried its remains at the bottom of the garden - the pic above shows it just before being interred. A couple of paving slabs were placed over its final resting place to prevent the foxes digging it up again.

Where did the foxes get the fish from? Is a local pond missing an occupant? Why didn't the foxes eat more of their aquatic prey? Very strange.

Fox drama

This morning at about 11:00 I heard a fox screeching. When I looked out I saw a fox running in my neighbour's garden, carrying something in its mouth. The fox then appeared in my garden. Whatever it had in its mouth was grey, at first I thought it was a squirrel but it may have been a pigeon. I went out in the garden as I didn't want the fox to dismember its prey on my property, and the fox ran across the garden and over the fence into the neighbouring garden on the other side. The two smaller foxes followed the adult.

Soon after, I heard a fox jumping over the fence and found when I went out that it was one of the fox cubs, which I chased off. A while later I looked out and saw the adult fox lying in the garden, now without any sign of whatever it had caught, and presumably satisfied after having provided a meal for its young. I pursued it off the premises yet again.

Foxhole

A few weeks ago I noticed a fox had dug a hole in one of the borders. I put a couple of paving slabs over the hole, but today I noticed the fox had managed to make some further excavations, throwing a considerable amount of earth onto the path in the process.

Pic one above shows the hole as I first saw it, pic two shows a view into the tunnel, and pic three shows the situation after I filled in the hole and put more slabs on top.

Fox crappage

There has been a high incidence of fox crappage around the garden in the last few days. I wasn't going to mention it, but today I noticed that a fox had left a dump on the top of the netting over the strawberries! I guess a fox climbed onto the netting, which obviously won't support its weight, then did the dirty deed while the netting was depressed, before jumping off, leaving this delightful gift for me to discover.

I did take a pic of the offending article, but thought better of posting it, for the sake of any readers of a delicate disposition.

Fox update

Yesterday moring there was evidence of rather a lot of nocturnal fox activity. I had heard a lot of movement during the preceding night, with the sound of foxes repeatedly jumping over the fence from the neighbouring garden. The foxes had strewn someone else's rubbish across the lawn and had pulled the upper part of one of the potato bags through the rigid plastic mesh, half ripping the top of the bag off.

I completely removed the top part of the affected bag, and moved the two bags closer together so that the plastic mesh is further away from the side of the bags.

Visitors

Spotted these two when I opened the curtains this morning. This clip shows the holes that they dig in the lawn. After recording this video I went out and chased them off.

More fox attacks

At 4:30 this morning I was woken by noises in the garden. I looked out and saw a fox trying to get into the strawberry plot. I went out into the garden and chased the fox off. No video this time as it was only just getting light, and anyway I was half asleep. The photo above was taken after breakfast, when I also noticed that a fox had ripped the potato bag that I had replanted on 4th July. This means that I won't be able to do any earthing up of this bag.

The chicken wire that I had put around the bag had collapsed and allowed the fox to get access. I have now put rigid plastic netting around the bags.