Country diary: Was this the fox version of a 'come-hither' smile? | Clare Stares

Langstone, Hampshire: The vixen approached the male, her mouth slightly open, gave a brief shake of her head, then darted off againWalking the coastal path, I stopped to scan the flooded horse paddock for the kingfisher reported there in recent days. Three grey herons loitered along the fence line, hunchbacked and watchful. Where shallow pools had formed, teals dabbled and drifted in loose rafts, while a dozen little egrets fed on the margins, using their yellow feet to stir up the mud and flush out small invertebrates before snapping them up with their rapier-like bills.The hoped-for flash of iridescent blue failed to materialise, but a russet streak caught my eye on the far edge of the field - a female fox, lean and alert. As I watched, I realised she was being followed by another - a thickset, wolfish dog fox with a grizzled coat. The vixen slowed, turned, dropped her forelegs to the ground and raised her rump, holding the pose briefly before springing away. Continue reading...