It’s all been about releasing animals this week. It’s so good to know that six fox cubs will be going back to the wild shortly. They will be given a soft release.
Initially they are placed in a large pen in a safe rural location where they are fed. After a few weeks the cage door is left open, but food and bedding will still be provided if they choose to return. Gradually the cubs become independent and move on.
Most of our cubs came in as orphans, some have severe cases of mange, others have injuries, mainly due to road traffic accidents or dog attacks.
How wonderful it is to know that soon they shall be free.
Foxes in captivity seem to be all eyes, all intelligent, wary, scared eyes! Eyes that never leave your face.
This hedgehog is blind and runs around in the daylight, funnily enough, all the blind ones do. She is off to a walled garden soon, where a lovely couple will subsidize her by providing food and shelter.
I’ve been busy too, releasing pigeons and wood pigeons, not that they wanted to go. It took ages for this lot to come out, in the end I had to walk behind their crates to get them moving, which sent them off like bullets, in one large group. All flew beautifully, which is always a relief.
I also released a herring gull. I was a little concerned about it as it had damaged it’s wing and didn’t seem to be a good flyer. It was marvelous seeing it flying off so effortlessly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjrK26E3J0I
It was fun and games releasing a couple of ducks too. Initially they swam off sedately, only to then be attacked by the twelve thugs I released a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately the newer-newbies turned out to be pretty thugish themselves and fought back. After a few skirmishes, order was restored and peace reigned on the canal once again.
Hubs and I had a couple of beers to celebrate while I enjoyed watching the fourteen-strong group having a ball, as only ducks can!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucPBVW36TkM&t=1s
I also had the pleasure of doing a few hedgehog/wildlife awareness talks in various schools and to my surprise wasn’t asked any awkward/unanswerable questions. Plain sailing for once, just happy, interested kids!
And Finally…..
Mother in law is knitting hedgehogs for the rescue open day……aren’t they just adorable!!!
It’s our wonderful foxman who nurtures the foxes, it is wonderful seeing them recover and go back to where they belong. We have a few around here but they are pretty good at playing invisible. xxx
How lovely that you have nursed these beautiful foxes back to health. I don’t seem
them round here very often these days. I love the little knitted hedgehogs.
Hi Keggy, good to hear from you, hope all is well in your world.xxx
Gorgeous. Just gorgeous ! Xxx
How awesome that the blind hog has an adoptive family waiting for him! Lucky little guy!
It certainly is one lucky little hog, we are fortunate having so many lovely people coming forward.xxx
Great post and images.
Thanks Peter.xxx
how sweet it is to contemplate the friendship of humans for wild life
Thanks Shimon, good to hear from you. xxx
Those foxes are adorable. We could use some more foxes around here, to take on all the rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. I’m glad the newly released ducks were able to defend themselves!
They are such gorgeous creatures. I was relieved when the newly released ducks settled into the larger group. It’s good seeing them all still together. Thanks Jason.xxx
What a great thing you are doing! I love your knitted hedgehogs. I had a brief dalliance with a bat in need of rescue a few weeks ago. He was found on the pavement outside school and passed to me as the resident “wildlife expert” (really not!). I quickly phoned the local bat group and then wildlife rescue, and took him there. Sadly he didn’t make it, but I think you all (wildlife rescue peeps) do a fabulous job and make the rest of us feel better knowing that these animals in need are going to safe pair of hands.
Thanks Melanie, what a shame about your bat, I’ve only ever found one that sadly died too. You gave the poor little thing your best shot though.xxx
I am always struck in watching our foxes here at the intelligence shining through those eyes. It’s a good thing that your little rescue cubs remain wary so that they won’t be too trusting of humans, right? Those knitted hedgehogs are absolutely adorable.
Lucky you having foxes to watch, wish I had some around here. Yes, their intelligence is obvious isn’t it? I love it when animals remain wary, trusting humans is definitely a bad thing.xxx
You’ve been very busy as always … Glad to hear the ducks sorted out the pecking order and peace reigned. I’m sure you do a wonderful job going into schools,….educating children about wildlife is the key … Despite the odd tricky question! Love the real hedgehog & the knitted ones … Your mother-in-law has done a wonderful job, they look very fiddly to me. I’m sure they will sell out in five minutes. Keep up the good work! 👏😀
Thanks Gerrie, I’m always relieved when peace is restored after a release, my fear is that the odd duck will be driven off. I agree re educating children, they are like sponges, they take it all in. Hopefully they realize that it’s their generation that will lose out.xxx
I can’t think of more than twice that I’ve seen a fox in the wild. They must be far more common over there than they are here. Perhaps there are others parts of the U.S. where they’re more common. I have a hard enough time keeping up with things in my neighborhood, let alone New England or the western states!
The knitted hedgehogs are adorable. My immediate response was that of a child: gimme! That alone makes me think everyone’s right who said they’ll sell out in a minute. They’re just so darned cute the urge to have one will be irresistable.
The injured mallard I was trying to help along is flying and swimming now, and his girlfriend is back, so I think all is well. I’ve seen him eating greens along the docks, and they’re disappearing together now and then. Isn’t it satisfying to have such a good outcome? I think it’s wonderful that your blind hedgehog will have a chance for a good life now, too. It makes me happy to read about it all.
I’m surprised you don’t have many foxes, they are everywhere here, as common in the cities as the countryside. Those knitted hogs certainly are cute, they sold out immediately last year, I’m sure they will this year too.
I’m delighted to hear that your mallard is thriving, what a wonderful story, satisfying? Oh yes!!!xxx
PS: I LOVE those knit hedgies, too: How amazing are they? I bet they’ll sell like hotcakes! Is there an online store? 🙂 xxoo, K
Mil is a gem….she certainly knows how to knit a best seller….lol….sadly no online store. xxx
Oh, Dina: So much to delight the heart here! I enjoyed hearing you and your dear husband sending the ducks off and watching to see how they’d make it…happy to hear that peace reigned after a period of adjustment. 🙂
I love the little blind hedgie and loved, too, hearing about his human caretakers: How wonderful!
The foxes always mesmerize me, that’s for sure. They look so very healthy now and I hope their release will go smoothly! Such lot of healed and healing life flying out from your magical fingertips! Thank you, and blessings on your week’s end and all new beginnings. 🙂
Thanks Kitty, it’s always a little nerve wracking watching the newbie ducks, especially when a gang attacks them, happily peace was restored. I’ve been back to check on them all and was happy to see all fourteen birds thriving. It’s always lovely seeing a disabled creature finding a good home, we’re lucky having a long list of such helpful, lovely people.
Foxes do mesmerize, lucky you having your very own foxes to observe. Thanks Kitty, hope all is well with you and yours.xxx
Lots of activity-definitely the time of year.
How old are the fox cubs, they look quite big?
Mother-in-Law must have had some great models. Her knitted portraits are a scene-stealer.
Great that pecking and splashing orders were re-ordered on the canal.
Gill raises the question similar to that which crossed my mind. You’ve had quite a number of familial pige connections. Could there be a secret Pige Parliament giving instruction on anthropological and wingéd relations ❓
I think the cubs are about six months old…give or take a few weeks. MIL seems to be able to knit anything, she’s moving onto foxes now! Lucky us!
Hahaha….maybe there is a secret Pige Parliament, they certainly are intelligent birds, I wouldn’t put anything past them.xxx
I was watching geese having huge fun in a park in the middle of Birmingham last week … every so often they’d all decide to start flapping their wings and just skate the water. Much splashing. I’m sure they were practising to be the next Red Arrows! Love your post, as always. What a lovely classroom that is – so much light and colour.
PS why are pigeons so difficult to convince??!! Do they just get used to high-class living????
Geese are so entertaining, I could watch them forever! Classrooms are so bright these days, I’ve noticed that too, lucky kids eh? Pigeons!!! They never seem to want to go these days!xxx
I didn’t realize how handsome and adorable fox faces could be.
And I love the image of the blind hedgehog on her walk — that little foot is too adorable. Glad she’s going to a good home.
I agree with Flighty — those knitted ones are going to be a big hit. I think she should double the quantity (if she’s able!) because they are going to be in demand.
Foxes do have such expressive faces for sure. MIL has now got her sister knitting away, how I wish I could knit like that!xxx
Beautiful pictures, a pleasure to know that some animals with a very unfortunate beginning, get a second chance. Do you think the vixen had been killed leaving the cubs to fend for themselves?
No further sign of our little hedgehog, there’s a very busy road nearby.
hope you have great success at the sale.
Vera.
Thanks Vera, all the cubs came in separately, maybe some were separated from their mother or wandered off due to the presence of dogs….what a shame about your hedgehog, hopefully it will reappear. xxx
A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures. I agree what you say about fox eyes, as shown so well in your second picture.
It’s good to know that the blind hedgehog is going to be well looked after, and those knitted ones should sell like hot cakes. xx
Thanks Flighty. Foxes, as you know well have such compelling eyes for sure. It’s great seeing blind hogs go to such good homes. xxx
Always a pleasure to read your posts……Back to Nature! Delightful images….so evocative. Hugs!
Thanks Bushka, always good seeing wildlife back where they belong.xxx
i I was drawn to the foxes eyes before you mentioned them. Tthey are really large and beautiful. HOw anyone can even consider trying to harm them is beyond me.
There is something ethereal about foxes eyes isn’t there, quite haunting…..and so beautiful. You and me both re anyone wanting to harm them.xxx
I know there’s lots of sad tales at the rescue, animals that didn’t make it and stories of how they came to be there, but these are the tales I like to focus on, animals being returned to the wild. Those fox cubs are so cute and that little blind hedgehog, awww, it’s wonderful that even she gets the chance to live how she should thanks to the lovely couple who will keep an eye on her. Lovely to see the herring gull and ducks being released. I’m sure the knitted hedgehogs will sell out in record time, I know they’ve been very popular at the open day in the past.
It’s the good news that keeps us all going, especially when it comes to releasing and adopting animals as you say. We are lucky to have people who will take our blind hogs, they do well in walled gardens and live naturally. I’m sure those knitted hogs will sell well, even family members are making off with them. xxx
So many gorgeous animals. I’m so pleased that the blind hedgehog will be going to a safe home. Interesting about fox’s eyes never leaving your face – when I saw one on our patio a while back, it stood and studied me for quite a while before sauntering off. It was a very special moment. Glad that the school visit went well and those knitted hogs are so darn cute! xx
Thanks Veggiemummy, we are lucky having a list of people with walled gardens to take our blind and three-legged hedgehogs. Foxes have a gaze that goes right through you for sure, there is always something a little sad about their eyes too. Lucky you having a fox in your garden, I wish we had one. xxx
Oh those knitted hedgehogs are great – they will sell out so quickly I’m sure.
So nice to see all the children avidly watching and listening to you.
Lovely photo’s of the foxes and the hedgehog, it’s really moving about well, I think I’ve only seen them curled or sitting still.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan. As fast as MIL knits the hedgehogs, family members are making off with them! It’s odd how the blind hogs run around in the daylight, usually we only see them curled up too.xxx