Anyone who has logged onto my Fox Cam over the last week, will know that there are several visitors and they can appear any time after dark.
The more I watch these visitors, the more I want to know about them. I am starting to recognise them as individuals, both through their behaviour and their appearance.
By recognising individuals, I can start to see who visits when and which vixens may have paired up with which dog foxes.
So far, I have identified 2 vixens and 1 dog . I think there is another dog visiting, but I need to get some more visits before I can be sure. I took screen captures of individuals, so I could compare size, shape and markings.
The markings on the legs can help identify them. The amount of black and the shape of these black markings vary greatly. Also the amount of white (if any) on the tail is another thing to look out for. I only see my foxes at night at the moment, so have to rely on IR images.
The 2 vixens who are visiting at the moment are quite different to look at.
Vixen1: Thistle
Look out for the tufty white end of her tail and triangular marking on her muzzle.
Vixen 2: Skittle
Look out for a distinctive black, skittle shape on her hind legs. She also has black half way up her front legs
Dog Fox 1: Bracken
Look out for his stockier build and thick neck. He also has clear black markings that run half way up his rear and front legs.
I will continue to watch my visitors and maybe identify some other individuals visiting over the coming weeks. Let me know if you spot someone different!