Fox family and swift flock

The foxes have begun to appear earlier in the evening - today the first appeared at 6.50am.

It was soon joined by the cub

The foxes were way down the track and the pictures taken on full zoom in low light so they are not brilliant quality.

After about 15 minutes the foxes trotted off and disappeared from view.

While this was going on a large flock of about 30 plus swifts screamed overhead. This maybe the nighttime aggregation as swifts flock together and cat nap on the wing at high altitudes. The nesting swifts next door may already have joined this group.

At 8.15pm the foxes reappeared down the track and were joined by a third fox, the other parent, possibly the male as he is bigger than the female. This one also has a bushier tail. The adult foxes seemed to be playing with the cub chasing each other. Eventually they disappeared again.

9.10pm and the foxes were visible in the gloom. Now the adults were actively hunting. The cub was investigating things but more, it seemed, out of curiosity. The cub came down to within about 10 feet of where I was standing at our wall. The fox eventually lay down on the track looking out towards the road. Then it sat up. I took the chance of taking a photograph using flash.

The reflection of the foxes eyes makes it look more alien in nature!

It did not seem to disturb the fox at all. I watched it for about another 10 minutes before it trotted back up the track. When I went back into the house, I could still see the shapes of hunting foxes in the track.