FoxTales

Springwatch Foxes – Winter up-date

Posted on April 15, 2012 by admin

Well winter has come and gone and it will soon be time again for Springwatch. I still regularly see some of last year’s Springwatch foxes. The male, the vixen and the female cub, cub #2, are the ones that are easiest to find. They have remained more or less in the same area that they occupied last year. Here are a couple of shot of them in February, when we had a bit of snow.

Springwatch Cub #2 - grooming her coat in the snow.

Springwatch Cub #2 - in the snow.

After having been missing for a few weeks, I finally found Cub #4 again, during the snow. He has moved to a new area probably in response to harassment from the male fox in the territory where he was raised. He was conspicuously leaner when I found him and had a rangier look about than the last time I saw him. He was also very wary. There is another clan of foxes that have a claim to the area in which he has, at least for the moment, settled and I am sure that this is the reason for his wariness. While I was taking the photograph below, one of these other foxes appeared in the distance and he immediately went on the defensive.

Springwatch Cub #4 standing in the snow with arched back in response to seeing another fox in the distance.

Springwatch Cub #4 - walking through the snow

Below are a couple of shots of the Springwatch vixen in the snow. Every winter there is a redistribution of “territories” but she has been able to hold onto more-or-less the same area that she occupied last year.

Springwatch Vixen in deep fresh snow.

Springwatch Vixen running at full stretch through the snow.

Here are a couple shots of the Springwatch male during the period of snow in February. In this shot he looks in good condition. Although he is still a relatively young fox (born in 2010), he is a fairly large in comparison with other foxes of similar age and has been able to stand up to challenges both from them, and from dominant males from neigbouring territories. He has not escaped unscathed, however.

Springwatch Male in deep snow.

In this shot you can see that he has lost a large patch of fur from his left side. This is almost certainly the result of territorial fighting with another male.

Springwatch Male with missing patch of fur.

That was some 7 or 8 weeks ago and as write this, the lost fur is growing back.

Springwatch Male - shot showing re-growth of fur lost during winter fighting.

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Springwatch foxes now Autumnwatch foxes – October up-date.

Posted on November 30, 2011 by admin

In the last up-date I was reporting that Cub #1 was still around but had become very wary and was difficult to approach and photograph. This is still the case. I still see him regularly from the Landrover, but if I get out of the vehicle he quickly runs off. Needless to say, we didn’t manage to get any shots of him for the BBC Autumnwatch programmes.

Cub #2, the only female cub in the litter, had always been rather shy. Over the last few weeks, however, her behaviour has changed radically and she is now extremely confident, so much so, that she will often challenge the male though she usually backs down rather quickly if he responds aggressively to her challenge. We shot some lovely footage for Autumnwatch of the vixen grooming her and this behaviour is undoubtedly intended to maintain and strengthen the bond between mother and daughter. I have no doubt that Cub #2 will remain with her mother into next year and help raise next year’s cubs.

Springwatch Fox Cub #2 photographed backlit in warm early evening light.

Springwatch Cub #2 - mid-October 2011.

Springwatch Fox Cub #2 in early evening light with soft out-of-focus background of autumn grasses.

Springwatch Cub #2 - mid-October 2011

Cub #3, the largest of the male cubs, who went missing in late-August, or early September, hasn’t returned or been seen since he disappeared.

Cub #4. Well, at the beginning of October he was still attracting attention from the male, but he appeared to have learned how to look after himself and to keep out of the way when the male appeared. I thought, therefore, that he was going to be able to maintain himself within the “family” territory at least until mid- to late December when the males become much more aggressive and territorial. This was not to be. Just as I started filming for Autumnwatch he disappeared and I haven’t seen him since. Below are the last couple of images of him that I shot in mid-October.

Springwatch Fox Cub #4, now fully grown, running across a sloping field of backlit grasses

Springwatch Cub #4 now fully grown - mid October 2011

Springwatch Cub #4 lit from the side by warm early evening light.

Springwatch Cub #4 - mid-October 2011.

By mid-October, the “Springwatch male” and “Springwatch vixen” appeared to have succeeded in driving away all other foxes from the area that they were disputing, except for the father of the “Springwatch male”, who is remains conspicuous along one boundary of the site . The “Springwatch male” is still somewhat submissive to him, but the vixen less so. On one occassion I witnessed a rather aggressive interaction between these two; the old male appeared to have formed the impression that liberties were being taken and decided to see-off the “Springwatch vixen”.

The Springwatch vixen stands on her hind legs to defend herself from a lunging attack made the male fox from a neighbouring territory.

Springwatch vixen (left) in a skirmish with the male fox (right) from a neighbouring territory

Another shot of the “Springwatch vixen” in more relaxed circumstances.

Springwatch vixen standing in warm early evening light with a soft out-of-focus background of green and gold.

Springwatch vixen in warm early evening light - October 2011.

By mid-October foxes are generally in, or close to peak condition. Below are a couple of shots of the Springwatch male looking in very good condition.

Springwatch male fox illuminated by low evening sun with a soft out-of-focus broken hedgerow background

Springwatch male fox - mid-October 2011

Springwatch male fox illuminated by warm evening light against a deep shadow background.

Springwatch male fox - mid-October 2011.

In my experience, male foxes only rarely succeed in establishing themselves in a stable territory before their 3rd winter. This male, although now only entering his second winter, looks to be sufficiently imposing in terms of body size, condition and confidence to defend himself and the area he has appropriated. For the BBC Autumnwatch show we captured some great footage of an aggressive interaction between him and another intruding male from a neigbouring territory. It was the type of fight that occurs between males – vicious and near silent, as opposed to the noisy interactions that occur between vixens. It didn’t last long, neither animal was injured and the Springwatch male emerged triumphant.

Posted in Autumnwatch, fox, photography, wildlife | Tagged Autumnwatch, fox, red fox, wildlife photography | 1 Comment

Springwatch Foxes – September update

Posted on October 5, 2011 by admin

I’ve been working with the BBC again to film a Springwatch sequel to go out sometime this month on BBC Autumnwatch. I think this is the first time Autumnwatch has made a sequel to follow the progress of subjects filmed earlier in the year. As before, I’ve been working partly with a BBC cameraman and partly on my own with their equipment.

Phil shooting video of the foxes

In my last post I noted that the “Springwatch” male had been rather indifferent to the cubs, but that I thought he was becoming less tolerant of them. Well things have definitely changed.

The male fox has been increasingly aggressive towards the three male cubs and may have succeeded in driving one of them away. He is more tolerant of the female cub but will still often give chase until he realises that it is not one of the males that he is after. As a consequence, the cubs generally try to avoid contact with him and they move away if they become aware of his presence.

Four scenes of agression by the Springwatch male towards the cubs.

The vixen’s attitude towards the cubs has also changed. If she has food, she no longer seems to actively seek them out to feed them. If the cubs find her with food she will usually give it up to them without too much protest, but often, the male is somewhere near by and will intervene.

I have known this vixen for three or four years, since she was a cub.

Springwatch vixen in early autumn evening light

Since she moved away from her family group, she has occupied a rather small and marginal territory. When the male fox was excluded from his family group last winter and came to share the area she was occupying, between them, they were able to resist pressure from other foxes in larger and more established neighbouring territories. Now, perhaps emboldened by the general aggression being exhibited by the male, she too has become much wider ranging and more aggressive than other vixens I have known. She is particular aggressive towards the other adult females who occupy adjoining territories; she generally ignores the cubs in these areas and is somewhat submissive to the adult males. Between them, therefore, it looks like what started as an instance of “least resistance” has developed first into a matter of convenience, and latterly, a mutually supportive arrangement. As a result, these two foxes are now ranging freely over a much larger area, only giving way to the father of the male fox, who occupies a territory to the north.

Below are four scenes of the vixen actively seeking out and chasing off other female foxes.

Four scenes of the "Springwatch" vixen chasing and fighting with other female foxes

I haven’t witnessed the behaviour described above in any of the families of foxes that I’ve observed over the last 16 years. Each group seems to exhibit some different behavioural characteristics from the others, especially in terms of tolerance between individuals. Some of the foxes at Pitsea live in clans of three, four, but I have known groups of up to six or even seven individuals, which have been stable for at least a year.

Below is a recent shot of the “Springwatch” male.

"Springwatch" male in early autumn evening light.

Due to the aggression of the male towards the cubs, they have become considerably more difficult to photograph. Cub #1 is very wary of the male and is now difficult to approach. Cub #2, the female, has always been rather shy, and remains so. Cub #3, who was attacked and injured by the male, but who recovered and had been present for a number of weeks since that incident, is currently missing. The only cub that remains relatively approachable is Cub #4 and a couple of recent images of him are posted below.

"Springwatch" Cub #4 in early autumn evening light.

Another shot in somewhat different weather and circumstances.

"Springwatch" Cub #4 after rain storm

Posted in fox, photography, Springwatch, Uncategorized, wildlife | 1 Comment

Springwatch Foxes – July Update

Posted on August 4, 2011 by admin

Its six weeks or so since the foxes appeared live on BBC Springwatch. Since then, the cubs have grown quite a bit and the adults have starting moulting into their new coat. These are shots of the foxes taken in mid- to late-July.

Springwatch Vixen

The lush growth of grass in the background reflects the cool and showery conditions that have persisted throughout July in this part of Essex. The yellow flowers in the foreground are bird’s-foot trefoil.

Springwatch Male Fox

As noted previously, this male is not likely to be the father of the “Springwatch” cubs. Until recently he has been rather indifferent to the cubs, neither aggressive, nor particularly protective or nurturing. This attitude seems to be changing though, and he is starting to become less tolerant of them if they approach him.

: Springwatch Fox Cub #1

This cub was previously very bold and during the Springwatch filming would often walk right up to where Liz Bonnin was sitting. He is still very confident but not quite as bold as before. He tends to keep his distance now and seems to be more of a “loner” than the other cubs.

Springwatch Cub #2

Cub #2 is the only female cub in the litter. She isn’t particularly shy, but in the presence of the other cubs, she is rather reticent and often stays close to her mother.

Springwatch Vixen and Cub #2 after a heavy shower

Here, mother and daughter stand close together after a heavy rain shower and it is easy to see how large the cubs are now.

Springwatch Fox Cub #3 after heavy rain shower

This is the largest of the cubs, by some margin, and previously he was the most active and boisterous. I think this got him into trouble with the male and a couple of days after I got the previous shot of him, he turned up with a lump of fur missing from his forehead. For a while he looked rather sorry for himself. In this image, you can see where the new, darker patch of fur has re-grown.

Springwatch Cub #4 after heavy rain shower

During filming for the BBC Springwatch TV broadcasts, this cub was the shyest in the litter and did not venture far from his mother. Within a couple of weeks, however, he had completely changed and is now the boldest and most inquisitive of the cubs in this group.

Posted in fox, Springwatch | Tagged fox, fox cubs, Springwatch | Leave a comment

Marbled Whites

Posted on July 7, 2011 by admin

Marbled Whites are one of our most strikingly marked and distinctive butterflies. For me their emergence at the end of June and early July marks the seasonal progession to summer. Numbers are strong locally and every year I tell myself that I must make an effort to photograph them. But the site where I do most of my photography, being close to the Thames Estuary, is often windy and year after year has gone by before suitable weather and a suitable opportunity coincide. This year, however, I’ve made a special effort and last week we had a couple of ‘calmish’ days.

Marbled Whites are particularly attracted to purple flowers and a couple of years ago I planted out a few Knapweed plants in a restored hay meadow. One of these plants has been attracting large numbers of butterflies - on Tuesday last week there were up to 35 Marbled Whites present at the same time!

To photograph the butterflies I used a Canon 7D fitted with a 12mm extension tube, a Canon 1.4x teleconverter and a 300/f4 lens. This is a great combination for photographing large and mobile insects like butterflies or dragon/damselflies. So here are a few of the results.

female marbled white butterfly on knapweed

female marbled white butterfly (Melanargia galathea) on knapweed

: marbled white (Melanargia galathea) on knapweed

marbled white butterfly with tongue extended taking nectar from knapweed flower

marbled white (Melanargia galathea) with tongue extended taking nectar from knapweed flower

The best time for photographing butterflies of course is early in the morning or later on in the evening when they are roosting. Marbled Whites generally roost on grass stem and it can be something of a challenge, firstly to get into range without disturbing them, and secondly, to get a clear shot without intervening grass stems and uncluttered background. My solution to both of these problem is to take a couple of bamboo canes with me and use them to part the grasses sufficiently to get the shot I want. Here are another couple of shots taken using this technique.

marbled white butterfly roosting on grass stem

marbled white (Melanargia galathea) roosting on couch grass stem

roosting marbled white butterfly in evening light

marbled white (Melanargia galathea) roosting on flowering couch grass stem

I continue to be amazed by the detail that is is possible to capture with the 7D – and the autofocus works too .

Posted in butterflies, equipment, photography, wildlife | Tagged butterfly, marbled white, photographing butterflies | 18 Comments

June – phew, a busy month.

Posted on June 28, 2011 by admin

June has been a busy month.

I spent most of the first half of the month working with the BBC Springwatch team at Pitsea, where I do a lot of my photography. Since then, I’ve been trying to keep on top of the chores that need doing – keeping the hides in one piece and the grass around them under control, as well as trying to new and different types of images.

Since it’s raining today, this has given me the chance to post this, which is intended to become a weekly blog on the “goings-on” with the foxes I photograph.

I’m going to start by introducing the fox family that appeared with Liz Bonnin on Springwatch – the “Springwatch” foxes.

red fox vixen featured on BBC Springwatch

Springwatch Vixen

This is the vixen. She was born in 2008 and remained with her mother, in her mother’s territiry during 2009, helping to raise her mother’s cub that year. She had her first litter of cubs last year (2010) and this is her second litter – the four cubs shown below.

Springwatch Fox Cub No.1 - the bold one.

Springwatch Fox Cub No.2 - the one that follows mum.

Springwatch Fox Cub No.3 - the boy-racer.

Springwatch Cub No.4 - the cautious one.

Each of the cubs has a different personality with behaviour to match. It will be interesting to see how these differences translate into how they fare in the future. At Pitsea, where there is a high density of foxes, those that remain with the parents the longest are usually the ones that are successful in establishing their own territories nearby.

Springwatch red fox male.

This is the male fox that featured in the BBC Springwatch programme. He was born last year (2010) and I’m pretty sure that he isn’t the father of the cubs. His parents occupy the neighbouring territory and, although he was excluded from their territory at the beginning of the year, he managed to sustain himself mainly by assisting the (Springwatch) vixen in preventing her territory being taken over by those on either side. She tolerates his presence, but he will have nothing to do with her cubs. Instead, any surplus food that comes his way is taken back into the adjoining territory, which is still occupied by his parents, and delivered to this year’s cubs. I’ve also seen him playing with these cubs , but not with the Springwatch cubs, although he shares their space.

Posted in fox, photography, Springwatch, wildlife | Tagged fox, fox cubs, photography, Springwatch | 1 Comment