My house backs onto a large field, in this field is a small wooded copse and in this copse lives a family of foxes.
Most nights around 10:30/11:00 I walk down the garden, open the fence gate and stroll close to the copse and put down bits of scraps/ leftovers, matter of fact a few of my neighbours do this as well.
So last night I did the routine, backed off waiting for Mr or Mrs Fox to show and sure enough he/she did.
About 10 mins later a cat appeared and close on its heels 2 hedgehogs
Mr/Mrs Fox looked up, gathered some scraps in its mouth, looked at the cat and just strolled back into the copse.
Cat then has a mooch around as do the hedgehogs, all have a nose around, pick up whatever takes their fancy and amble off.
It truly was a beautiful sight to see, tonight I’m out there with my camcorder
My parents used to do much the same, but we had badgers come visit. And they brought their cubs. One evening a fox decided that he wanted some of the food too but didn’t wait for the badgers to leave. One of the badgers bit the fox: the fox’s howl was audible through the double glazing.
I left some scraps out on my patio by accident the other night. My reward was a cat fighting a racoon for them about 10 feet from my bed at 3 in the morning.
In a small town where we used to live, my neighbor put out kibble for the feral cats every night. When she went on vacation, she asked me to do it for her.
I sat and waited to see if a feral kitty would show up. One did. She settled down and began eating, and soon afterwards, a grey fox showed up as well. The fox calmly waited her turn. After awhile, the kitty finished and padded away.
The fox set to with gusto.
No hedgehogs, though.
Cats are a bit fickle like that, that’s why I’m a dog person.
I imagine the hedgehogs are a bit like groundhogs around here, neither them nor the fox would stand much of a chance with all the coyotes and 'coons around here.
You can have the skunks though, never much liked them anyway .
About noon, a young fox came and took some bread back across the road. then the momma with 2 baby kits came … Rats, she took off before I could get a picture. the cats are staking out the area too which does not help and we seemed to have cars passing at just the wrong time all day long. They take off quick when a car is coming… Several more through the late afternoon and as dusk settles in they come in an even spaced time frame…
I wonder if they do that so they don’t get into territory fights over this one good place that has a buffet?
Links to the albums that have most of the fox pictures.
I put out food for the birds but don’t get much other wildlife in the yard. Sometimes the neighbor’s cat comes to watch the birds. It just lies around looking at them–I’ve never seen it chase them and they don’t seem frightened of it.
There’s a coyote hanging out near the place where I work. I see it sometimes in the mornings.
Where my husband works, there is a pond behind the building. Thisguy lives there.
My husband feeds it! Yesterday I gave him some cheap sausage to take to “Dude.” He also gets peanut butter sandwiches, and one time a bag of marshmallows. There’s another guy that feeds him also - his nickname is Gator. He puts weenies on a bent coathanger and feeds him that way. They’re all crazy, I say!
I hope Gator is smart enough to realise that if he (she? it?) bites (off) the hand that feeds it, there will be a massive manhunt. “That living creature over there looks more sumptuous than this tiny weeny sausage which he is offering me…should I have a one-time good meal or this small but enduring pickings…?”
About twice a week - a pack of coyotes in the field behind my house. Sometimes making a kill, others just howling for the hell of it. No one leaves their dogs out overnight around here.
Great! Your hubby and co-worker need to smarten up! It is a BAD IDEA to have a gator equate food and humans. I hope they do not end up injured or worse.
He puts weenies on a bent coathanger and feeds him that way. They’re all crazy, I say!
