Croydon Ducks - Garden Wildlife and Foxes 2016

Latest update: 27th December 2016

Photos from the garden in 2016 of toads, frogs, foxes, birds and other wildlife.    Two new fox cubs this spring.

Older Photos of Garden Wildlife - 2015

Photo

23rd January 2016, an unwelcome visit from a heron, trying to steal my fish.

Photo

Did not see the heron fishing this year, but there may have been visits I missed.  

Photo

10th February 2016, heron is back again.  

Photo

19th January 2016, this pair of foxes are here for food daily, probably mother and cub from last summer, but hard to tell.

Photo

Lucy the dog is 15 years old and not nearly as energic as last year, but she still knows it's her job to terroise foxes in the garden, but
can not always manage to chase them away.

Photo

28th January 2016, late afternoon, back for diiner.

Photo

12th February 2016, there is a third fox that comes for food, but is very nervous and runs away when I come into the garden, whereas the
other two will start eating while I'm still emptying a can of dog food on the ground.  So probably not a fox from last year.

Photo

22nd March 2016, waiting in the flower bed.

 Photo

2nd April 2016, the fox waiting outside the kitchen door for breakfast.

Photo

Two foxes eating dinner.  A dog walker reporting in early May there are three new fox cubs in his garden near here, not seen them yet.

Photo

24th May 2016, it's Starling breeding season and dozens of fledglings are arriving every morning, following their mothers looking for food.

Photo

The fledglings are brown, they don't turn black with white dots for a few months.

Photo

The Starlings take bread from the globular feeder down onto the lawn where they try to eat it, chased by pigeons trying to steal it.

Photo

More fledgling Starlings near the pond.

Photo

A mother Starling in the centre, with two fledglings. They eat up to three loaves of bread a day, and a third of a 1kg peanut cake.

Photo

Fledglings flying off with their food. 

Photo

11th May 2016, the foxes ignore the cats, who often eat their dog food.

Photo

Finally get to eat what is left.

Photo

Before Lucy the dog chases them away, but not far.

Photo

15th May 2016, waiting for dinner by the pond.

Photo

Still waiting, joined by another fox. The fence around flower bed stops them demolishing small plants.

Photo

31st May 2016, they often sit on the patio wall looking in the house windows, one even jumped onto the kitchen window sill from where
this photo was taken to announce their prescence for breakfast.

Photo

2nd June 2016, patiently waiting at the end of the garden.

Photo

3rd June 2016, 8am, first photos of two new fox cubs, mother closest to the house.  First saw them last weekend at the end of the
garden, but today they follow mother to the patio for breakfast, although there is not really anything left. 

Photo

One of the cubs has followed mother across the garden. Probably two or three months old, they grow fast.

Photo

While the other licks the scraps.

Photo

Both are now back near the patio.  Went outside with more food, but they saw me and ran off.  Doubtless lots more photos over the
coming weeks.

Photo

10th June 2016, 8pm, the fox cubs are still very shy and disappear as soon as they see me, so not many photos.

Photo

Although the parents eat most of the wet food, there are also dog biscuits under the hedge.

Photo

Two ducks on the island ignoring the fox.

Photo

9:15pm, the cub is still looking for food.

Photo

11th June 2016, 8:45pm, mother is watching her cub eat from the top step up to the garden door, she often looks in the window.

Photo

14th June 2016, foxes still waiting for more food.  Discovered they were not always prepared to wait outside for food, but had watched
the cats using their back door cap flap, and had started coming into the house.  Was eating breakfast one morning when a fox came
through the cat flap into the kitchen, saw me, and ran out again.  Next day found a very smelly fox in the house twice. So had to change
the cat flap for a magentic collar version, and normality has returned.  No photos of foxes in the house, ran off too quickly.   

Photo

15th June 2016, 8pm, fox cub looking for food, while mother watches me instead.

Photo

Fox cub exploring the patio.

Photo

The fox cubs don't often stay still long enough for a good photo.

Photo

18th June 2016, 7:30pm, a fox stalking Lucy the dog.

Photo

Who turns around and gives chase. 

Photo

But not for long, at 15 years old, Lucy does not have the stamina for repeated chases.

Photo

21st June 2016, mother and last year's cub eating dinner.

Photo

And now grooming each other, happens all the time. 

Photo

Until a new cub decides to join in.

Photo

But the cub loses interest quickly.

Photo

Now the cub is exploring the garden shed, while the grooming continues.

Photo

22nd June 2016, 9pm, the ducks and foxes mostly ignore each other. 

Photo

24th June 2016, 6pm, mother sitting comfortably, waiting for dinner.

Photo

Another grooming session with mother and last year's cub.

 Photo

30th June 2016, cub waiting for dinner.

Photo

4th July 2016, eating the bird's bread.

Photo

8th July 21016, mother and last year's cub waiting for dinner.

Photo

11th July 2016, 9pm, three foxes waiting for dinner.  It's now harder to tell them apart visually, until feeding time when mother and
last year's cub come within a few feet and this year's cubs run away.

Photo

Now joined by a fourth fox, so probab ly mother and three cubs, one old, two new.

Photo

Now sharing a can of dog food.

Photo

Definitely mother front left, more black and white in her coat. 

Photo

One of the new cubs.

Photo

15th July 2016, new cub again, waiting for food.

Photo

19th July 2016, 8am, someone waiting for breakfast. 

Photo

26th July 2016, 8:30pm, this is where it gets confusing, two foxes that look like mother, but definitely a new cub closest to the camera
with a longer white tail tip.

Photo

Side view of the same cub.

Photo

29th August 2016, a Sparrowhawk has caught a fledgling Starling who is screaming loudly, before flying away with it's meal.

Photo

29th July 2016, 8:30pm, new cub, keeping a careful eye on me. 

Photo

Now drinking, but still aware of me. 

Photo

Meanwhile mother and old cub grooming each other near the kitchen window.

Photo

And now eating their dog food.

Photo

4th August 2016, 9pm, four foxes having dinner.

Photo

11th August 2016, three foxes waiting for food, including the cub with the white tail end.

Photo

13th August 2016, two young crows with mother, they've been nesting and breeding in the next garden for many years.

Photo

19th August 2016, 6:30pm, the new cubs are coming into the garden earlier, being groomed by mother.

Photo

Cub now sitting down.

Photo

23rd August 2016, new cub and mother.

Photo

24th August 2016, this kitten has been visiting the garden for a few weeks to chase the wild life, today trying to sit on the squirrel
feeder, but not a way to catch squirrels.

Photo

Another garden visitor, that has mastered the art of sleeping up a tree, for hours at a time. 

Photo

23rd September 2016, 6pm, now have five foxes visiting the garden for dinner, only two are tame and come into the lawn while I'm
emptying a tin of food, one more has a head appearing around the trellis, the last two only appear when I disappear.

Photo

25th September 2016, 5.30pm, three foxes waiting for dinner.

Photo

But only four initially.

Photo

But a timid foxe joins in before all the food has gone.  I can no longer accurately identify any of them, they all look so alike, the two tame
ones seem to be mother and caub from last summer and winter, assume the other three are cubs from this spring. 

Photo

6th October 2016, 5pm, waiting for dinner again.

Photo

Only four foxes tonight.

Photo

11th October 2016, only four again.

Photo

23rd October 2016, 4pm, the usual suspects.  There are now six foxes when it's darker, not got a photo of them all together yet. 

Photo

9th November 2016, 4:30pm, five foxes eating together, not seen six again. 

Photo

24th November 2016, only four foxes today.

Photo

1st December 2016, most of the leaves have been swept up, so easier to see food on the grass. 

Photo

2nd December 2016, 4pm, five foxes again.  Usually only two or three. 

 

 


All photos and text on this web site is © Copyright 2011-2022  www.croydonducks.co.uk and may not be reproduced, copied or linked
without prior written permission.  All rights reserved.