[Foxy2]

On my way to Falmouth this morning I noticed daffodils in flower by the roadside in Truro and for sale by the roadside. These are probably early varieties of course but even so provide signs of how mild its been in this part of the world.

Edit: Whilst fencing these last few days I saw a queen wasp flying around (came into the tractor cab) and crawling on an old gatepost saw a species of parasitic ichneumon wasp which I have not been able to identify yet.

This post has been edited by Foxy2: 29 December 2011 - 12:22

[Modo]

Big Dave, on 28 December 2011 - 11:21, said:

Another photo of a female sparrowhawk for comparison - pretty definive I reckon

These birds seemed to have moved in to urban areas and are very partial to Pigeon.

Attached is a picture of our local "Kingston/Wimbledon" warden in action back on October 30. Unfortunately the wardens seem to have gone away recently. This morning I had 18 Wood Pigeons in the garden and another 16 next door (Wood not Feral) - I'm sure getting back on to topic there has to be some weather lore connected to wood pigeons gathering in huge flocks and moving in to the suburbs. LOL

[Modo]

Just had a Bumblebee fly in to the garden, and hit the window!!! Not had a drink yet.... honest.

We are now up to 8 daffodils in full flower in SW London - in a frost hollow.

New Year or Easter?

[Dave K]

The first few snowdrop flowers of the winter are now open in the garden here.

[Dave K]

Daffodil shoots are growing like crazy this week, these are in the garden so are probably hybrid cultivars rather than naturalized wild plants, but they are usually quite late to flower compared with those in neighbours gardens. Still, the shoots which are up to 10 - 20cm or so are a long way from the flowering stage for now.

Actually just seen in another spot in the garden a yellow crocus in flower.

This post has been edited by Big Dave's Gusset: 07 January 2012 - 13:47

[Flatlander]

Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) been flowering in the garden since the beginning of Jan - probably a bit early this year, though it is a winter flowering plant.

Local nature reserve is finally getting water levels back to near where they should be after months of drought. Here's one from this afternoon - spot the bird!

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

[Dave K]

^^ Is that a snipe hidden in there Tim?

Walking along the riverside path this morning, many small leafy low growths of what I take to be Cow parsley, about 2 - 3 inches high. I've never really looked for it so early in the year before so I don't know if this is well advanced or normal.

[Flatlander]

Yes, it is indeed a nicely camouflaged Snipe. Saw two but the other one was better hidden - was a nightmare trying to point them out to anyone.

I am told that Cow Parsley shouldn't really be growing but it isn't unexpected given the weather. It might not make it far if it turns cold, although it will resprout again in spring if it gets frosted as it is a perennial.

This post has been edited by Tim Prosser: 09 January 2012 - 12:11

[scrapemedic]

Saw a daffodil up, in flower, in the central reservation today, I suspect it won't be totally alone for long. A lot of the bulbs are growing happily in the garden at work. And there is lobelia still alive, if not flowering, from last summer, in the trough. I am sure we won't get through the rest of this winter frost free, but I really want to know if its worth bringing in the frost tender plants this week or next. The longer they get out in the sunshine the better, bring them inside the garage and they don't fare so well as they don't get enough natural sunlight and probably a little intoxicated with ambulance fumes! Hmmm, what to do?

[Dave K]

Now have more crocus open, some grape hyacinth in bloom and some of those pale blue flowers I think are aquilegia of some sort. Will they survive the frosts?

[Dave K]

Midwinter it maybe but a reminder that you can report sightings through http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/

Apparently lesser celandines have already been seen flowering in places, which is a good 4 weeks early.

[rosskesava]

Tonight while sorting out and organising my van for tomorrows work, which I do most evenings and which usually takes about an hour, I saw a fox which isn't unusual. The car park where I park at the back of the tower block where I live is a bit out the way and has spaces for about 40 vehicles with only about 6 or 7 in use. Sometimes, if I ignore the fox and carry on with what I doing, it'll come within about 15 ft of me and it'll just sit and watch. If I turn and look for longer than a few seconds, the fox hikes it off into the undergrowth.

Sometimes if we have food that isn't wanted I'll put it on the scrub around the car park park. I've never seen any fox eat it but by the morning, it'll all be gone.

Tonight I saw the fox as per normal but after about 10 minutes it was joined by another fox, which I assumed at the time was the vixen, and then to my complete surprise, 3 cubs. The cubs must have been very young as they were maybe about or just less than or slightly over a foot long. As usual, I completely ignored them and carried on sorting things out and they were there just watching for about 4 or 5 minutes before going on their way.

I can only guess the fox, or foxes, has or have got to know my smell and my smell on the food I put down there which is why maybe the fox sits and waits.

What amazed me was it's completely the wrong time of year to see fox cubs and I can only put it down to the mild November and December.

The male fox had an incredible coat complete with highly coloured and bushy tail. The vixen looked a bit ragged and her stomach looked 'sucked in' which I guess must be due to the cubs feeding.

On the notice board where I live is dire warnings about feeding the foxes but I cannot see what harm they do. If we've food that needs to be chucked I'd rather the foxes have it than it going in a bin. Food is meant to be eaten and I'd rather feed it to foxes than it rot on some landfill site somewhere to be consumed by either rats or bacteria both of which are as harmfull, for want of a better word, as a fox.

This post has been edited by rosskesava: 17 January 2012 - 01:19

[Bazmundo]

rosskesava, on 17 January 2012 - 01:10, said:

I can only guess the fox, or foxes, has or have got to know my smell and my smell on the food I put down there which is why maybe the fox sits and waits.

On the notice board where I live is dire warnings about feeding the foxes but I cannot see what harm they do. If we've food that needs to be chucked I'd rather the foxes have it than it going in a bin. Food is meant to be eaten and I'd rather feed it to foxes than it rot on some landfill site somewhere to be consumed by either rats or bacteria both of which are as harmfull, for want of a better word, as a fox.

It's probably watching in amazement at an animal that works so hard yet still leaves food lying around, probably brought his kids to show them. LOL

In all seriousness, you shouldn't feed foxes, rather quite the contrary. They need to know where their natural 'wild' food sources are, especially with a young family in tow. What happens when you don't leave food out, or aren't there to provide it? Will it associate the human shape with the possibility for food, and will other human shapes be as kind to it?

The same happens to me with certain green areas I cut through on my way home from work, various foxes will come within feet of me if I ignore them (or maybe just hide within feet of the path and hope I don't see them). As much as I like to see them, and admire their ability to negotiate the town almost undetected, whenever one gets close I make sure to bark or growl at them to really deliver the message that they should fear humans.

FWIW the same applies to feeding birds, especially at this time of year and most especially with those fatty lumps of food. Unless you're utterly committed to replenishing the food source throughout the season, and seasons to come, don't do it. If there's no food put out for the birds to rely on, they'll waste precious energy coming to a garden looking for it. A bird bath at a safe height from predators is a much better option if you like to see them.

[rosskesava]

I'd never considered that - about foxes, and other creatures, getting used to humans and being fed. Last night while sorting out my van just the one fox turned up so I made sure it knew not to come close by suddenly turning, waving my arms and shouting.

It's not that I'm interested that a wild animal, or animals, should come near to me, it's more that I was surprised it, or they, would. The food I put down is no where near where my van is and I'm not worried what animal eats it whether foxes, rats or seagulls or whatever.

I suppose that idealy we would never have any food go to waste. I worked for nearly 11 years for the volunteer services overseas as an aid worker before it became a trendy thing to do and in the days when common sense came before a degree in something unrelated as a qualification. Consequently, I have a real 'thing' about wasting anything precious like food.

It's still a good point you made though that a wild animal should always be seen and treated as one for it's own good. I guess the role of doing that has maybe been dilutted by Walt Disney films wherein the animals get the anthropomorphic treatment and the animal somehow knows it.

This post has been edited by rosskesava: 19 January 2012 - 00:55

[Bazmundo]

It's fair to say that a lot of urban foxes already rely on waste 'human' food for sustenance, and it's probably been that way for generations. It's the same way we picked up cats and dogs as domestic animals, although as a dog person I'll stress that cats were always the scavengers until the Egyptians deified them (I can already feel a scathing comment from a certain medic looming...)

The difference I suppose is where and when you leave the food, or where the fox knows to look. They quite like earthworms, so maybe tend a small patch of open ground for them? Let nature supply the worms. As said though, if you're prepared to sustain the supply, I don't see the harm in leaving out your bacon rinds, etc. Both sets of my grandparents used to do this for hedgehogs et al, way before recycling came along.

I wonder if it'll get used to you waving your arms around?

Just checked a fox website, 65% scavenged food!!
http://www.thefoxweb.../urbandiet.html

[scrapemedic]

We had a fox at work that the cleaners started feeding polish sausage, which is a terrible thing to feed foxes as its causes diarrhoea! Any rate, that aside, it had mange so I found a website that provided the cure which you put on honey'ed bread and left around the neighbourhood. The good thing about treating foxes for mange is not only do they benefit from it, but, the local canines are less likely to catch it from the foxes if the foxes don't have it, so its good for your pooches.

I guess it figured out that it was me that was feeding it and it got to the point when it would come out if I called. We would sit there at two in the morning, me and Bluebell the fox, watching the stars, him niping at me cigarettte smoke. Occasionally it would come up and sniff my knee. Too tame, in the end I had to catch it and it went to an animal sancturary.

They are great creatures, horribly and incorrectly vilified. They have behaviour more like cats than dogs. One arched its back sideways on at my cat one afternoon, to which the cat just laughed and sat there and watched the fox. But yes, you shouldn't feed them or try to befriend them. Though its hard, there is one round here which stops and looks up for a while if I bang the window; he is obviously not scared.

Driving around at night, like I do, I see them everywhere. apparently there one sitting outside Morrisons the other morning, not sure if it was waiting for the shop to open, but it was as bold as brass. i suspect they are taking full advantage of the warmer winter, getting a head start on breeding.


P.S. I still have pelagoniums in the garden which should by all rights have died in the frost, and should not be flowering at all, which they are.

[Dave K]

A couple of dwarf purple irises now flowering and this small mauve flower that I have no idea what it is ( with lobed leaves - and snowdrops for scale! )

[Nigel Bolton]

There are many arguments for and against feeding wild animals. However, I used to feed badgers by placing unsalted peanuts on my back doorstep when I lived near Southampton and then watched tham out of the living room window. They were not bothered by the kitchen ligh, and indeed one evening, I left the kitchen door open and one came inside very briefly.

In parts of the US, feeding bears has created a massive problem, as they will now break into cars of there is food left inside.

My alimentary canal has never reacted adversely to ingesting Polish sausages, but I guess I am not a fox.

N.

[skanky]

We have a fox that sometimes sleeps in our garden. There's enough woods round here for them to still be mainly rural.

Snowdrops have recently appeared in neighbour's garden (don't get (m)any in ours). In Malvern they were out at Christmas.

[skanky]

First blossom appearing. Some on a young cherry further down our road, and some more on a bush that I don't know the name of.