Hairy footed flower bee, Anthophora plumipes.

A little bit of sun and there they were. The browner, rounder females were feeding on the violets and the only just flowering Ribes flowers. Every so often they warmed up again on the sunny bricks that line the borders. https://flic.kr/p/2oobppe The female is lower down, watching the male feeding on a violet. https://flic.kr/p/2oobpro The…Read more Hairy footed flower bee, Anthophora plumipes.

The fox who came to breakfast.

Crumb likes the outdoors. He likes to eat outside, and he never finishes his food, ever. This leaves half eaten, smelly bowls of at food by the back door. A fox has a good sense of smell, and from the back wall of the garden the fox thought he might like the left overs. https://flic.kr/p/2ojrwZG…Read more The fox who came to breakfast.

26th Feb fox update.

My central London garden in Stoke Newington, looks to have a pair of foxes claiming ownership of the garden. The pair come together, with the vixen eating first, then the dog fox finishing the food and marking the bowl. Marking is a very quick process. There are 2 other foxes around, but they check the…Read more 26th Feb fox update.

Blackbird song before dawn.

Way before dawn, in the pitch black, a blackbird has been calling from the tree at the end of the garden. This is the first time for a few years that a blackbird has chosen this tree to call from. I put this down to the number of cats, but maybe this is a particularly…Read more Blackbird song before dawn.

Chicken scraps and 3 foxes.

It is hard to count foxes when they are only seen in greyscale. This is the best attempt at counting. The night before they were offered left over Christmas Cake, and they did eat it, but could take it or leave it. Yesterday there were Chicken scraps, and they loved it. First was a nervous…Read more Chicken scraps and 3 foxes.

Squirrels eating rosehips.

Before the sun was up, on a clear and frost morning, squirrels were eating rosehips. https://flic.kr/p/2ocjNoP A tied stick from the fence that gave them easier access to the rose arch than the wild jumping of previous years. https://flic.kr/p/2ocfQH9 The rosehips are rich in vitamins, which may be in short supply at this time of…Read more Squirrels eating rosehips.

2 foxes with a taste for the finer things.

I was given some restaurant left overs, liver in onion and red wine gravy from a rather lovely place locally. It was going to be thrown away, so just to see it the foxes liked it I put it out with their usual food. The other options were left over ham and tuna cat food.…Read more 2 foxes with a taste for the finer things.

A fox round for lunch.

After feeding the foxes by the back door for a while, this one is chancing his luck. Crumb (cat) had some unfinished bowls, perfect for a lunch time snack, 12.15 pm. https://flic.kr/p/2o9F6UP We had been chatting quietly, not moving about in line of sight of the back door, until we got up, and there he…Read more A fox round for lunch.

The foxes now eating by the back door.

When it is raining, the foxes didn't like the sheltered place I put their food down the garden which avoided rain filling the bowls. Instead it is now all in one bowl left outside the back door under a lean-to shelter. It seems to work OK. Last night one visited soon after 10 pm and…Read more The foxes now eating by the back door.

Blackcap bathing.

It takes a long time to remove the ice from the concrete bird bath, and the melted ice has daily had a small amount of oil in it. Someone has been bathing in there. No idea who until today. In an attempt to see where the foxes are taking the bowls they remove from the…Read more Blackcap bathing.