Rivock Ramble #2: Vulpine Voyager
This is the 2nd in a series of 9 caches which will take you on a 4.6km there and back ramble across moorland east of Bradup on the southern side of Rombalds Moor to the edge of the large Rivock Plantation and up to Rivock Edge where you will - on most days - be rewarded with a stunning 3 counties panorama.
There is a good footpath for the route, however, this may become boggy & partially puddled after prolonged precipitation. The walk can be completed in 2-3 hours depending on the duration of stops for caches and any additional activities which may include refreshments, bird-watching, gazing at the views, taking photos or videos (see here for one which covers the route and more).
The cache, a camo-taped bison tube is dangling low a short distance across the grass from the path.
As I was looking for suitable hide location, I detected a flash of red in the corner of my eye, and spotted this instantly recognisable creature crossing the field to the south.
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes and is the most widely distributed member of the order Carnivora in the world, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus parts of North Africa. It usually weighs 5-8kg and 40cm shoulder height.
Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia, where it is considered harmful to native mammals and bird populations. Due to its presence there, it is included on the list of the 'world's 100 worst invasive species'.
It originated from smaller-sized ancestors from Eurasia. Apart from its large size, it differs from other fox species by its ability to adapt quickly to new environments. Despite its name, the species often produces individuals with other colourings, including leucistic and melanistic individuals. 45 subspecies are currently recognised and divided into 2 categories: the large northern foxes and the small, basal southern grey desert foxes of Asia and North Africa.
Foxes are social animals and live in loose family groups. These are normally made up of a breeding male, female and their young. Mating takes place in winter and this is when foxes are at their most vocal, barking and screeching loudly as they look to attract a mate and fend off rivals. In spring, the female will give birth to a litter of 4-5 kits (but up to 13!) in an underground den which are cared for by both parents.
By autumn, the young are fully self-sufficient and some will leave to establish their own territories, while others
may remain with the family group. Those that stay sometimes help their parents to raise the following year’s young.
It is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger which allows it to survive in a wide range of habitats. It feeds mainly on small rodents like mice and voles, though may also target rabbits, squirrels, game birds, reptiles, invertebrates like worms and beetles and young ungulates like lambs and deer fawns. Fruit and vegetable matter may also be eaten sometimes. Urban foxes still hunt live prey, but will also eat any food discarded by people. Foxes are mainly crepuscular - most active around dawn and dusk - but can also be seen in daytime, especially in urban areas.
Fox territory depends on food availability. In urban areas it can be as small as 25 hectares, but in upland Scotland, where food is much scarcer it may be up to 4,000 hectares.
In January 2014,'Fleet', a relatively tame urban red fox tracked as part of a wider study by the University of Brighton together with with the BBC TV series Winterwatch unexpectedly traveled 195 miles in 21 days from his neighbourhood in Hove at the western edge of East Sussex across rural countryside as far as Rye, at the eastern edge of the county.
He was still on his journey when the GPS collar stopped transmitting due to suspected water damage. Along with setting a record for the longest journey undertaken by a tracked red fox in the UK, his travels highlighted the fluidity of movement between rural and urban red fox populations.
Depending on location, although it tends to kill smaller predators, including other fox species, it is vulnerable to attack from larger predators, such as wolves, coyotes, golden jackals, large predatory birds such as golden eagles and Eurasian eagle owls, and medium- and large-sized felines.
It has a long history of association with humans, having been extensively hunted as a pest and furbearer for many centuries, as well as being represented in human folklore and mythology. Because of its widespread distribution and large population, it is one of the most important furbearing animals harvested for the fur trade.
Too small to pose a threat to humans, it has extensively benefited from the presence of human habitation, and has successfully colonised many suburban and urban areas. It has been fully domesticated in Russia.
See here for more info.
For short videos, see here (British Mammal Guide), here ('all you need to know') and here (excellent footage of young foxes 1st year).
