Woke up in the night to hear a dog barking...but it was an odd bark. Not deep enough for a big dog, not yappy enough for a small dog. realised it was in my garden and therefore must be a fox, and I jumped out of bed.
A bit dazed, I wondered if it was on the radio. I have heard foxy screeches before, and this wasn't one of them. I pulled on my dressing gown while trying to see if the radio was on. I realised it wasn't, heard the barking again, and ran downstairs. I grabbed the torch and back door key, opened the door, and ran out into the garden.
I had expected that the fox, if it were a fox, to have run off the moment it heard the door undoing, but it didn't. I managed to catch it in my torch beam as it ran down the grden. Then it stopped, turned round, and ran back to the chooks. Then it repeated the exercise, it ran down the garden, stopped, ran back. I realised that the Fox watces - one by the house and one by the chooks - were probably confusing it.
I managed to open the gate into the chicken area, but I wasn't actually sure what I was supposed to do - or going to do. I wouldn't be able to catch it. As I started to walk ito the run, it turned in the only direction available: the fence to next-door. It leapt over the fence (it's 6 foot high) and away. It was barking a few minutes later.
I opened the pop hole to check that the Girls were OK, and the two who are currently using the nestbox as a bedroom just looked at me sleepily. No sign of any distress.
Any idea why the fox would be yapping so much? The only thing I can imagine is that it was telling his/her family that it had found something interesting.
I found a few audio files on line, and one particular one sounded like our visitor. The poster says it's when his pet fox is expressing curiosity or playfulness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cETa0x0Zfzw
A bit dazed, I wondered if it was on the radio. I have heard foxy screeches before, and this wasn't one of them. I pulled on my dressing gown while trying to see if the radio was on. I realised it wasn't, heard the barking again, and ran downstairs. I grabbed the torch and back door key, opened the door, and ran out into the garden.
I had expected that the fox, if it were a fox, to have run off the moment it heard the door undoing, but it didn't. I managed to catch it in my torch beam as it ran down the grden. Then it stopped, turned round, and ran back to the chooks. Then it repeated the exercise, it ran down the garden, stopped, ran back. I realised that the Fox watces - one by the house and one by the chooks - were probably confusing it.
I managed to open the gate into the chicken area, but I wasn't actually sure what I was supposed to do - or going to do. I wouldn't be able to catch it. As I started to walk ito the run, it turned in the only direction available: the fence to next-door. It leapt over the fence (it's 6 foot high) and away. It was barking a few minutes later.
I opened the pop hole to check that the Girls were OK, and the two who are currently using the nestbox as a bedroom just looked at me sleepily. No sign of any distress.
Any idea why the fox would be yapping so much? The only thing I can imagine is that it was telling his/her family that it had found something interesting.
I found a few audio files on line, and one particular one sounded like our visitor. The poster says it's when his pet fox is expressing curiosity or playfulness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cETa0x0Zfzw
