Mr Fox Goes A-Fishing

No, not the title of a Beatrix Potter book, but the latest little wildlife drama to unfold in my back garden this very morning.

There I was, zipping up my work bag ready to go and catch the bus, when I saw a big gingery form slunk into my tiny back garden. I watched, motionless, as a Fox pottered along the path barely ten feet or so from me.

Oh, how I had had my camera to hand as normal, but no, on this one occasion I will have to try and describe everything through the power of words.

It sniffed up at the bird table, which is way too high for it to reach (my table is six feet tall because of the legions of cats that patrol the area) but then turned its attention to the pond.

I thought it was going to drink, but - no - it started scooping about in the waterweed with its paw.

It then hoiked a dangling stem of the waterweed out of the pond onto the slabs that line the edge of the pond and flicked it repeatedly with its snout before nibbling something up off the slab. Was it finding pond snails? It was impossible to tell.

To cut a long story short, ten minutes later, I'd missed my bus and the slabs were littered with a dozen pieces of waterweed that I'll need to clear up by torchlight this evening.

Have you seen a Fox do anything similar? Or have you had your own wildlife moment recently that kept you transfixed?