Woodland stories: Frank the fox

The cheeky red wanderer decided to have a go at fishing

Wildlife photographer Chris Beever has packed up his trusty camera and headed off in search of our local wildlife.

After a tip off from a resident of Waddington, Chris went to visit a furry family that's making the most of a Ribble Valley garden.

With a tummy full of ginger cake and tea, Chris set up his hide to wait for a shy - and sly - visitor.

Chris takes up the story and tells us how he got on when he met a fantastic Mr Fox...

With autumn making its presence known and the inevitable high winds battering my local woodland, I decided to head further afield in search of finer weather.

After the usual process of butty making and the ritual of "the filling of the flask" I once again headed out on a mission to photograph one of my woodland friends.

Little patch of woodland

With the constant and welcome tips of places to visit coming in from you lovely Lancashire people, I headed off to visit a chap near Waddington. A family of foxes has taken quite a shine to his little patch of woodland at the rear of his property.

With an irresistible offer to pitch my hide at the end of his huge garden I decided to pay him a visit to fulfil his request of getting a few pictures of his beloved wildlife visitors.

After the usual cup of tea - in best china I might add - and the best ginger cake I had ever tasted, I set up my hide and got to work.

With a pretty reliable timetable that my host John and his wife had worked out, I waited to see if the usually sly old fox would come and bless me with his presence.

I have spent weeks sometimes trying to get close to our native wild dog and only after months of patience managed to get barely close. The red fox is renowned for being a shy lad, but it's only when you get really close to one of these stunning creatures that you truly realise how beautiful they are.

Luckily for me I did not have to wait long. After only an hour of watching the little long tailed tits fluttering around John's garden and watching his bird feeders quickly empty with the onslaught of little brown jobbies, I heard a loud rustle and breaking of twigs in the nearby woodland.

I looked out of my hide and checked my camera as the noise of an approaching animal came closer. What would it be? Maybe a tiger had come to John's for a spot of lunch? Another loud rustle and a loud bark and there he was, poking his head through a patch of long grass looking straight towards me.

A family of foxes has taken a shine to John's woodland

The sight of a truly wild animal always gives me with a sense of fulfilment especially when it has decided that you mean no harm and enters your space. On this occasion, Frank the fox must have felt at ease and he walked straight past me and up the garden path to where a few tit bits had been left.

Excited yapping

I could hear more rustling in the nearby woodland and wondered if there where any more red beauties hiding away. Frank answered the question by gathering up mouthfuls of food and taking them calmly past me and into the woodland where, after a few minutes, I could hear excited yapping. "Looks like Frank has youngsters," I thought.

After the seventh time of disappearing and coming back to John's feeding spot, Frank finally decided to pose for me, as he sat in the long grassy borders of John's back garden.

I took the time to take a few shots and then sat back and watched as Frank ventured around the garden, surprisingly turning over bricks and knocking over garden gnomes at one point!

The cheeky red wanderer decided to have a go at fishing next. John started to laugh behind his living room window, but luckily Frank was a pretty poor fisherman and all the koi remained untouched.

After an hour of sheer pleasure Frank decided - as all wildlife does - that enough was enough and it was time to move on. Unfortunately the rest of the family decided to stay within the cover and safety of the woodland - probably due to the odd looking unfamiliar dome in John's garden.

With John's wife starting to do the garden chores in the distance I decided to call it a day.

I have returned to this spot on various occasions and can tell you that old Frank had three young cubs and a loving Miss Red that John and his wife have affectionately called Rose.

If you have wildlife visiting your garden no matter what type it is, look after it, a few tit bits from a leftover meal will provide you with hours of free entertainment. See what you can do to attract your local wildlife. No matter how small it is you can always do something.

Any many thanks to John and his wife for my enjoyable day out!

Article sent in by Chris Beever