Behind our house, there's a short twitten that runs between our garages and the garden behind a primary school. Over recent days, Billy has been very interested in an ever expanding hole under the fence. I would estimate its size as about 7 by 6 inches.
Being a country boy, I'm always interested in the behaviour of wild life, and I'm watching the evolution of this sub-fencing passage with interest.
It shows fresh signs of digging daily. It's too small for a Fox; unless it's for cubs. It could be a Rat, but it's almost too large. I have seen a Squirrel in the tree above it, but I don't know if Squirrels dig holes as such. It could also be a Hedgehog, but again, I'm not sure if they are 'diggers'.
I don't think we have Badgers in town, nor do we have Stoats or Weasels.
I notice that someone has tried to block the hole with a roughly nailed plank, but it doesn't seem to be deterring whoever the digger is.
I do hope it's a Fox, and that it the passage will soon be enlarged. I do rather like the idea of Foxes living nearby. People say they kill Cats, but I think this is false. Somehow, though, I doubt if it's a Fox.
Billy is certainly keen on meeting whoever pokes his/her nose through the opening. He finds it fascinating; as do I.
37 comments:
It's some hapless guy trying to dig his way out of Alcatraz - in search of Cro.
And, no, foxes do NOT kill cats (unless the cat asks for a mercy killing).
U
Oh Billy you are having such a great time with al the new scents.
It's an urban myth that the anti-Fox folk use to get rid of them.
He stops there every time we pass, and studies the hole very carefully.
Looks about rabbit sized.
My, the Tigger's, experience is that foxes are my friends and allies, and K9s are dangerous enemies. Maybe we simply had civilized foxes. We joined forces at home agaist squirrels and crows, and at the allotment against rats and mice. I let my humans throw my leftovers out for the fox that used my trapdoor in the fence to give our garden a daily inspection.
It's behind a Primary School, so it could be an escapee Rabbit that is hanging around. It is the right size for a Rabbit.
I see Foxes at night very often; I know they live very close by. Since the hole was semi-blocked-off by the plank it has become too small; maybe that's why there's constant digging there. To make it Fox size again!
Why do people in towns like foxes? People who live in the country and keep hens loathe them!
Billy the Sleuth is on the job. He will sort it.
I lost a whole run-full of hens to a Fox one night. People in towns like them because they don't own hens!!!
I think the digging may have stopped today. It looks as if they've hit some big roots!
Could be a bunny. Wonder if it is big enough for the pot?
I know that the squirrels dig big holes in our pots and in the lawn to find the nuts that they buried but I don’t know if they dig under fences. Bunny or fox ? We have a warren of underground tunnels made by foxes in one part of our garden going under our fence ! XXXX
Foxes squeeze through very small spaces
Fox.
I do like wild Bunny.
I suspect it IS a Fox that someone has tried to discourage.
They're a bit like Mice; as long as their heads fit, the rest will follow.
Well that's the subject pretty well covered.
I think you're right.
Solution found? Mystery solved?
It might be a raccoon.
Fox...or maybe a rat run.
When we lived in North Wales our next door farmer had a vixen's den in the edge of one field..he didn't mind her as she kept the farmyard rats down, but he pushed her out at lambing time.
Or a Wallaby maybe?
I've actually witnessed a Fox sitting on top of a hay bale watching a sheep give birth! I chased it away.
Unlikely as wallabies are not known for digging holes but raccoons are.
Def not a wallaby ! :)
Majority says, it's a fox. I see a red fox behind my house occasionally. He/she poses, stares at my house for a few seconds and then runs. I'd like a framed oil painting of my fox.
I'm curious too! Will trust you to monitor the situation daily.
I find it fascinating too - keep us informed.
I think it must be a Fox. It's the only animal that would be digging like that, and there are plenty of them.
I shall keep an eye on the situation.
I will.
Unfortunately, urban foxes do sometimes kill small pets. My DIL's mother had a Chihuahua that she absolutely loved. One day the little dog was taken by a fox that leapt over her garden fence, grabbed the dog and leapt back over. She was powerless to save her pet, although she tried, and then had to listen while the poor little thing was torn to pieces in a neighbour's garden.
That's dreadful, but I expect very rare. I think they tend to live on human detritus, left on the ground outside take-aways, etc. A small dog would be unable to find safety in a tree, in the way that a cat would.
I also think fox and think there must be something inside the fence that he wants. A fox recently got my daughter's chickens, killed two and the third one looked like it died of fright.
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