Peaceful Cyprus wildlife - rare sighting (photo story)

[cyprusmax47]

Well, I was very lucky this weekend when I was out for a second trip to catch the buzzard from the other day again. Equipped with a camping chair, a long tripod, some food and drinks and of course my camera I was waiting to spot the buzzards again. While concentrating on a falcon flying up and down the valley with noisy warning screams I saw him landing in a large shrub. I zoomed in with my camera to take a pic from him but realized that there was something moving behind this shrub. It looked like a tiny cave from the distance but it was in the end a fox's burrow.

So the photo story starts now with a view of the hill side, the burrow right in the middle (you need a larger screen than a laptop to see it)


a closer view, the burrow one can see now better on the bottom of the pic, in the middle


Here now the burrow with one parent waiting for the youngster to come out of the hole..


one of the little one's appeared, behaving very patiently ...


but this one is begging


and needed to get told off


this pair is waiting until food is prepared and chewed up


there comes more food...


I am nearly popping now


very cute baby


more pretty?


and finally even when out of focus a pic from a parent...but what performance is that?


Max

[TLR]

What wonderful pics, Max!
Last year I had the most wonderful experience, I was staying with a friend near Kyrenia, her house backs onto scrubland and old olive groves, it was just after daybreak and as I looked out of the bedroom window, two foxes leapt over the wall and spent nearly twenty minutes playing round the pool.
I had never seen foxes so close up, nor for so long.
It was quite quite magical, but sadly I had no camera to hand.
Thankyou so much for sharing your pictures.

[LouiseCastricum]

So lovely, indeed very lucky day for you. Years ago foxes came into our garden very early in the morning. Lovely to see them.

[Dominic]

Lovely shots Max. When we lived in the UK foxes used to play in our back garden. They can look very cute but make a racket when they scream.

[cyprusmax47]

Thank you all for your comments. Specially appreciate a "bravo" from Dominic as he knows best how difficult it is to get decent pics from a large distance. My headline "peaceful" was not just a eye catcher. The three hours I sat there watching the fox family, was no any other noise, only falcon and bee-eater I could hear. No car, no plane, no people... just beautiful! I hope some members were watching this post on a large screen to get all the details..

Max

[Ams]

Wow, how wonderful for you Max. I would love to see that. I have seen a couple of foxes here, but only for a few seconds as they soon moved on. Thanks for sharing the pics.

[cyprusmax47]

Lovely shots Max. When we lived in the UK foxes used to play in our back garden. They can look very cute but make a racket when they scream.

Later in the summer, when they have puppies, I have to get up several times at night. My dog goes mad, when they run past on their way to the chickens and doves and even turkey, from the farm of my landlord, who always goes crazy about it and threatens to put poison around...

Max

[Dominic]

I can fully understand why farmers wouldn't like foxes. They are no different from rats in their eyes; vermin.

[PaphosAL]

Later in the summer, when they have puppies, I have to get up several times at night. My dog goes mad, when they run past on their way to the chickens and doves and even turkey, from the farm of my landlord, who always goes crazy about it and threatens to put poison around...

Max

Puppies? I think you mean cubs, Max? Now, what on earth would be the point of your landlord spreading poison around his farm to exterminate foxes, only to kill his resident chickens, doves, turkeys as well?

Try and bang some sense into him, please! AL

[cyprusmax47]

I can fully understand why farmers wouldn't like foxes. They are no different from rats in their eyes; vermin.

A very nice article in CMail about Cyprus wildlife: https://cyprus-mail.com/2017/11/01/cypr ... nderstood/

Concerning foxes: “I talk quite a lot about foxes in Wild Mammals,” says Haris. “They’re a very misunderstood animal, hunters seem to think they’re in competition for prey, but that’s not the case at all. Actually, the fox is very useful in the ecosystem, they eat a lot of rats and other diseased animals, and get rid of carrion."

Max

[Dominic]

They also eat a lot of chickens, given half the chance.

[Firefly]

Dominic, so do humans

Beautiful photos, I was led to believe that foxes were protected in Cyprus, (not that it means anything).

Jackie

[cyprusmax47]

Later in the summer, when they have puppies, I have to get up several times at night. My dog goes mad, when they run past on their way to the chickens and doves and even turkey, from the farm of my landlord, who always goes crazy about it and threatens to put poison around...

Max

Puppies? I think you mean cubs, Max? Now, what on earth would be the point of your landlord spreading poison around his farm to exterminate foxes, only to kill his resident chickens, doves, turkeys as well?

Try and bang some sense into him, please! AL

He is 65 and won't change his habits. His chickens, rabbits, turkeys are all enclosed and doves don't pick up poisoned meat...and he is always very generous spreading rat poison around the area instead of cleaning up his messy enclosure.

Max

[PaphosAL]

Oh dear...

AL

[JimX]

As poisoning is VERY illegal call in the police. Don't just ignore this awful man.

[cyprusmax47]

As poisoning is VERY illegal call in the police. Don't just ignore this awful man.

Who tells you that I ignore the situation there. As I am the tenant of him and payed more than 50.000 Euro rent so far, I believe I have more power than the police is involved ( and Cypriots and police is another story) I could change already a lot of his bad habits concerning farming, (using too much and too nasty pesticides, fertilizer etc.) but when he is loosing one chicken to the fox he still goes mad. You should have seen his behaviour, a couple of years ago, when somebodies sheep entered the unfenced property and started having a go at his olive trees...in the end he got 100 Euro compensation after he threatened the owner of the sheep...
Anyhow, I keep talking to him( It improves my Paphian Greek) everyday to stop the poison business and one day he will stop...

Max

[PaphosAL]

Max- have you ever thought about buying your own place again? Just wondering...

AL

[cyprusmax47]

Max- have you ever thought about buying your own place again? Just wondering...

AL

Perhaps the answer gives this short video from a German business channel with the headline: Only idiots buying a house.....
https://www.businessinsider.de/nur-idio ... hat-2018-5

Max