There I was, in the middle of the morning, chatting on the ‘phone and idly staring out of the window, across the lawn and the newly-bare winter trees.
A fox appeared. He walked under the mulberry tree, across the grass, and disappeared into the undergrowth some distance away. He was magnificent. As large as a labrador, with a sleek tawny-red coat, he was very fine as he strolled the full length of the garden, some small item of prey wedged between his jaws.
He was so very different from the urban foxes we see when we go to stay with my son and his family in London. After dark, we enjoy peeping through the curtains, watching them as they prowl up and down the street and stop to examine that unfamiliar car – ours. Compared with our country fox, these urban types are small, with duller coats that are ochre-red, rather mangy and bald in places. But look at what they eat. Our fellow will have feasted on a plentiful diet of rabbits and pheasants. Town fox investigates dustbins and fast-food litter, looking for the remains of a greasy, salty fried chicken meal, or a few crusts of pizza. He won’t starve, but he’ll be pretty ill-nourished.
We always enjoy our glimpses of those town foxes in London. But how much more excited I was yesterday when I saw the beast who, unhurried, stepped regally past.
And no. I haven’t got a photo of him. I’d have had to leave the window and miss those few special moments.
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
keep your camera at the ready for next time – s/he (probably a he but there must be a reasonably equal distribution to keep the show on the road) sounds as if s/he would enjoy having a photo taken and might even pose….
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Oh no! Far too self-possessed to want a paparazza in the way!
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Sometimes it’s important to forget the camera and enjoy the moment like you did😊. Wonderful photo you found on wikimedia though.
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Yes, it was not a moment to miss simply by leaving the window for a few moments.
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This sort of random wildlife moment leaves me excited for days! And I completely understand about not want to bother with the camera–savor the moment! There was a fox family near my mother’s summer place a couple years ago. My mom and her husband spent hours watching the kits play and never once picked up a camera.
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Oh, that must have been wonderful. And so much better to replay the scene in their heads at will than miss some by hunting for the camera.
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Oh how lovely, we often get a glimpse of Mr (or Mrs) Fox here and most mornings I find evidence of a less favourable kind on our front lawn. I think he likes to tell our dogs that he has been about.
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And so he should. I guess he and his family got there first 😉
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We don’t see many foxes around here although we have an awful lot of rabbits. My parents have a family of them living at the back of their garden and my father, who has a soft heart when it comes to animals, makes dog food sandwiches for them. Apparently they love them!
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Dog food sandwiches? Yum! We too have hundreds and hundreds of rabbits. I don’t quite know how we avoid daily carnage on the roads.
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