Foxwatch Diary
The breeze was cold and a slight drizzle fell as we set off on a foxwatch in County Sligo but with a bright October moon illuminating the countryside we had high hopes of catching sight of some wildlife activity.
A large adult badger was the first sighting and not long after that a cat appeared. What we were most interested in, though, were foxes so on we continued up onto the hilltop.
The beam of our torch picked up a pair of eyes in the distance - a fox foraging for worms. Another set of eyes caught our attention and prompted Peter to imitate the sound of an injured rabbit. Would the fox react and come closer?
No. It either had enough food over there to keep it occupied or it could distinguish between the genuine sound of a rabbit in distress and a human imitating one!
We made our way along a ridge in search of more vulpine activity. We weren't to be disappointed. A few hundred metres away, a fox's head popped up out of the undergrowth. He had heard our footsteps and became suspicious. We stood dead in our tracks and waited to see what he would do.
He kept peering over in our direction, ready to dash away at the first hint of danger.
Peter continued with the rabbit routine and this fox slowly responded. He trotted through the rough grass, stopping every so often to reassess the situation. Hidden behind the torch beam, we watched him coming closer and closer.
Soon he was just a short distance from where we stood - pausing to the right of a small tree and giving us an opportunity to get a good look at him.
The three foxes spotted within a relatively small area suggested that a good supply of food exists around here - a healthy rabbit population, no doubt, and lots of worms and berries.
