Croydon Ducks - Garden Wildlife 2016

Croydon Ducks - Garden Wildlife and Foxes 2016

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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

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

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

10th February 2016, heron is back again.

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

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.

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

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.

22nd March 2016, waiting in the flower bed.

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

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.

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

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

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.

More fledgling Starlings near the pond.

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.

Fledglings flying off with their food.

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

Finally get to eat what is left.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

While the other licks the scraps.

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.

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

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

Two ducks on the island ignoring the fox.

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

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.

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.

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

Fox cub exploring the patio.

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

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

Who turns around and gives chase.

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

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

And now grooming each other, happens all the time.

Until a new cub decides to join in.

But the cub loses interest quickly.

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

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

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

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

30th June 2016, cub waiting for dinner.

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

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

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.

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

Now sharing a can of dog food.

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

One of the new cubs.

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

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

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.

Side view of the same cub.

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

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

Now drinking, but still aware of me.

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

And now eating their dog food.

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

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

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

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

Cub now sitting down.

23rd August 2016, new cub and mother.

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.

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

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.

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

But only four initially.

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.

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

Only four foxes tonight.

11th October 2016, only four again.

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.

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

24th November 2016, only four foxes today.

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

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