Fox feeder idea. This is a follow up on exchanged comments with Tasker Dunham about making fox feeders that don't get raided by other gluttonous creatures (like seagulls in our case - they fly until last light and are back at first light to scavenge anything that might not have been claimed during the night).
It's an instagram link but it opened on my tablet which isn't in use for my instything account so I hope you can at least see the pictures. I have seen versions of this idea in use in Piraeus when I was living there. The lifting lid thing is the special feature.
We have started putting the fox food under the 'table' on the back concrete. The night camera thing confirms it took them no time at all to find it.
Crows have also found it and come bouncing down the lawn, hands clutched behind their backs, to investigate. I distracted the crow (Buzzcut) with scraps pulled off a roasted chook Mr B had brought home from a lunch with his Dad. (I have no idea what the form is about giving cooked chicken bones to foxes - but have been told it's no-go for dogs. Crows, I am sure, can make their own decisions about cooked bones).
Crows are hilarious. They stuff their beaks as full as possible then take off using the full length of the lawn, barely clearing the back fence, then bank hard left and use the length of the neighbour's garden coming back to gain enough height to clear the houses. After a couple of days of being given food on the table the crow has worked out that it makes for a vastly improved height gain performance to take off from the table, so now even if it has filled it's shopping bag on the ground, it leaps up onto the table before launching itself at the air space over the garden.
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteTotally cute and love the night shots. YAM xx
Those crows sound very intelligent. Looking forward to seeing those prickly young-uns as well :)
ReplyDeleteI use to know a man who put out dog food at night to feed a rat and watched it from his window. He insisted that it was the same rodent that returned every night.😊
ReplyDeleteRats are very clever. Did that man live very far away from you? I have now cleaned up the pile of rubbish on our neighbour's carpark (because I had seen rats go into it) and found two rats nests. I also found a rat hole dug under the fence into an area outside the neighbour's fence where he dumped a pile of rubbish about 5 years ago. Mr B has pointed out that it too has rats nesting in it - so my clean up goes on. Eventually the rats will have to find someone else's rubbish to nest in.
DeleteI would love to see what goes on in our back yard at night. I once stepped out middle of night with Jake and there was a raccoon swimming in the pool. I am sure a cam would pick up a lot of action... no foxes near here though.. the fence keeps the coyotes out, but have only seen one twice in 4 years.
ReplyDeleteLovely videos. Our gardens aren't ours at all - we just borrow them for a while.
ReplyDeleteWe're now putting leftovers out at dark, and if Foxy doesn't come then the crows or magpies get them around 04.30. He hasn't been for a while, so must be finding food elsewhere. So the birds do get them. The crows are indeed hilarious. I like your description.
ReplyDeleteCrows are just so smart.
ReplyDeleteHow Nobby would love to come and visit and test his fox hunting skills!
Nobby much as we love you we wouldn't let you loose on 'wee fox', and I suspect the big confident dog fox might give you a run for your money... the vixen is very wary and shy and turned up with a hurty paw last week so it wouldn't be a fair match to let you hunt her.
DeleteI do worry about Meredith if Foxy can bend enough to manoeuvre in and under the opening to her snack bar. What was the tiny animal in the third video?
ReplyDeleteI always find it strange to read about foxes being fed, nurtured even - I’m sure you know how they are loathed down here (rabbits also)
Foxes and Hedgehogs can comfortably share a garden. Badgers and Hedgehogs - now that is a different thing and if we had a badger you wouldn't be seeing hedgehogs. Here foxes are part of the ecosystem - all things in balance. Humanity might have understood what that meant once upon a time but the ages of industrialization seems somehow to have rid us of the knowledge and understanding of balance. Nature might let us think we are in charge but she will give us enough rope to hang ourselves and when we have killed ourselves off Nature (the rest of it) can get back just being....
DeleteWOW what an adventure filled yard you have after dark. Everyone visits. Mereidith tickled me.
ReplyDeleteWe had a crow on our suet feeder yesterday. I didn't see him land but it must have been a very interesting show. The suet has a dome cover over it and the suet cage is only about 5"x5" with a 2" landing spot. Yep they are smart
thank you for sharing all these photos and the videos.
Hugs Cecilia
You really do have quite the busy wildlife social Centre at your place
ReplyDeleteI think I’d happily just sit and watch your cameras than the telly.