Every day, I fill five bird feeders in my front and back gardens. I also scatter breadcrumbs on the grass, and bird seed on the ground to feed the pigeons. On top of that, I sometimes have up to four foxes visit my back garden looking for handouts, so I feed them too, with dog food. Then there's a stray cat who lives in my front porch who's a greedy blighter and is always looking for food, so I buy 'Felix' or 'Whiskas' for her, as well as all sorts of other wee treats. The cat comes into the house sometimes for a heat or a sleep, so she must like it here. She runs away from everyone else in the street. My neighbour calls her 'Scaredy Cat'.
Anyway, I opened my kitchen back curtains this morning and there were a couple of young foxes having a kip until I went out to feed them. The other one was out of sight behind a tree, but the one above was directly in front of the back window so I snapped this photo of it. The garden (or what you can see of it) looks a bit scruffy, but half-an-hour later the gardener arrived and cut the grass, making it look less like an overgrown wilderness. You'd have to ask the foxes whether they prefer the garden being untidy or spruced up a bit, but I suspect they don't care one way or the other, as it's only a place for them to eat, then sh*t in.
Any other Crivvies got a menagerie of animals that they feed?
I grew up in a village and we'd always throw stale bread or cake onto the coal shed roof to feed the birds (who were mostly crows) and there was a field next to our house with horses in so we'd feed the horses too - they'd come up and eat out of our hands. Strangely I only ever saw foxes on one occasion when I watched a group of them through my binoculars.
ReplyDeleteFoxes are a much more common sight nowadays than they were when we were kids, CJ, on account of towns and cities encroaching more and more into their territory. A few years ago, there was a fox in my garden that would come up to me and very gently take food out of my hand, then lie down a couple of feet (or less) from me. There have been a few foxes since then that will take food out of my hand, but when they've got it, they don't hang around.
ReplyDeleteI assume you supported the ban on fox-hunting, Kid? But did the ban apply in Scotland too?
ReplyDeleteIn principle, yes, though I never signed any petitions (was never asked to) or anything. Don't know if the ban applies in Scotland or not, CJ.
ReplyDeleteHi Kid! The missus and me feed and water about 4 chipmunks, some blue jays, squirrels, and a baby rabbit. We also plant flowers for the bees, and have a huge butterfly garden. The monarchs mostly love the milkweed and butterfly flowers. And we let go an enormous patch of goldenrod which feeds wasps, bees and just about any flying insect. I kicked out most of the spiders in the basement, tho, as they are sloppy. Our two water fountains help keep everyone hydrated. There is the occasional murder, as there are hawks and other birds of prey. But they gotta eat too, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteAh, I forgot to mention the squirrels, LM, for which I put out some fat balls in a little dish with a moulded squirrel on it. And I've currently got a wasps' nest inside an abandoned bird house, but they see to their own needs. Gulls and other birds pick at the dog food for the foxes, who don't seem to mind sharing it. Quite a part going on in my back garden sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the 'y'? That should read 'party', not 'part'.
ReplyDelete