Croydon Ducks - Garden Wildlife 2012

Croydon Ducks - Garden Wildlife and Fox Cubs 2012

Latest update: 11th December 2012

Photos from the garden in 2012 of birds, foxes and other wildlife. Fox cubs have started visiting the garden this year.

Older Photos of Garden Wildlife - 2010/2011

13th March 2012, seeing occasional visits from one or two noisy Ring-necked Parakeets (or parrots), also seen in two local parks.

The Ring-necked Parakeet again.

The Ring-necked Parakeets are looking for food, unfortunately all my feeders are squirrel and pigeon proof, so the parrots can not
get at the food either.

15th March 2012, there are always 50 or more toads laying spawn in the pond each spring, but usually only a couple of frogs. But this
year there seem to be at least 10 frogs spawning, some seen here with the strings on toad spawn underneath.

A mating pair of toads in daylight, quite dangerous for them if spotted by the crows.

16th April 2012, the Ring-necked Parakeets are back again briefly, no long enough for the camera to focus properly.

28th April 1012, two foxes are visiting the garden each evening about 8pm looking for food, here eating some bread left by the birds.

5th May 2012, one of the boxes eating dog biscuits.

17th May 2012, the fox is still coming for dinner each evening, and eating any bread the birds have left.

It's also fledging time for the Starlings, with dozens of young Starlings visiting the garden with their parents, looking for food. The
Fledglings are still grey brown, without the black and white speckling of the adults. They are also not yet aware of danger, which
is why Simba the cat was sitting by the pond above. They were eating three loaves of bread a day this week.

25th May 2012, it seems there are now two mothers coming to feed twice a day, here watched by Susy the cat at 9am.

The foxes seem to get on well together, no fighting, but they usually head off in different directions perhaps to different dens.

A couple of nights later, I saw one of these foxes carrying the full feeding dish (a ceramic cat bowl) in her teeth and I've not seen the
dish again. Quite surprising they can jump fences with something so heavy. I've now started putting their dog biscuits in plastic food
trays, and one is disappearing most nights, presumably with the food being taken back to cubs in a nearby den. This fox appears to
jumping a fence into a heavily overgrown garden behind mine, so possibly the cubs are there. Unfortunately the weeds are eight feet
high and visibility is zero.

The mother fox is still visiting the garden morning and evening.

15th June 2012, three fox cubs have started visiting the garden each night at about 9pm, the first cubs I've seen in six years. A mother
is close by, but not taking much notice of the cubs, difficult to know if it's their mother.

The fox cubs are very timid, jump at the slightest sound in the road or garden and run back to the safety of the hedge.

This first night there was only one food tray and this cub ate the lot (I refilled it later), so now putting out two trays.

The cubs seem in very good condition.

The fox cubs are drinking from the pond, and watching the ducks.

The next night only a single cub came back before it was too dark to take any more photos.

They look very innocent.

Mother is still coming back each morning, it the crows have not eaten her pellets first. Not seem the cubs in day light yet.

The fox cubs are still coming back each night, now illuminated by a spot light so better photographs.

Two of the three fox cubs, the only time I saw all three together again they saw me move toward the window and ran off.

One of the cubs drinking from the pond.

Mother still explores the garden and shed for food.

30th June 2012, just one cub tonight, and past 10pm.

4th July 2012, 9.15pm, the fox cubs are growing larger, even in the two weeks they've been visiting the garden.

Eating dog biscuits on the lawn, at least those the crows did not steal before it got too dark for them. There are still at least three
fox cubs, but did not manage to photograph all three together.

7th July 2012, 8.30am, got a surprise this morning, first day light visit from the fox cubs, looking for fallen cherries.

I was taking photos for about five minutes, and they did not see me watching them from the window.

Eating a cherry on the patio wall.

Watching for danger in the garden, but not looking at the house.

They still seem in very good condition, although their mother was limping on three legs the previous evening.

Still curious.

8th July 2012, 9am, I think this is one of the fox cubs, but soaking wet from heavy rain overnight. Another morning visit.

A second cub at the same time, looking a little drier than the first.

20th July 2012, one of the fox cubs waiting for dinner.

24th July 2012, some morning they get cat food left over night that's put out for the birds.

The increase in height in just one month since I first saw the cubs is significant, lots of dog biscuits has helped.

30th July 2012, about 8.30pm one cub watched by the mother.

Now two fox cubs.

August 2012, the squirrels have destroyed several commercial plywood feeders over the years, so my neighbour Peter offered to build
a new strong feeder from a pine floor board. Hopefully, the thickness will stop them eating the wood, and the screws will be much
stronger than the old panel pins. Did not need a transparent front since all the local squirrels know exactly where to come for their
peanuts each morning.

Currently about five squirrels feeding here, but no idea where they live.

3rd August 2012, one of the fox cubs pondering the dig biscuits on the lawn.

Some days they get left over cat food as well as dog biscuits.

25th August 2012, the mother fox is usually the first to arrive for dinner in the evening. I did find a dead fox in a nearby road, could
not tell if it was from her family. Cars are the major cause of urban fox deaths.

Mother at midday, taking in the sun in the next garden. Another fox was sleeping in a nearby flower bed.

September 2012, early morning, a fox cub gets to the crows breakfast before they do.

Waiting in the morning for breakfast.

7am, sitting in the middle of the lawn staring at the kitchen window again waiting for breakfast.

A cub eating dog biscuits at the end of the garden.

November 2012, the cubs seems full sized now, and at least one still comes back at dawn and dusk for dog biscuits.

Waiting for food again, not interested in the bread.