A fox in the snow

19/01/2009 by admin.

The road from my house to the main road crosses a river by a bridge. The river emerges from some woods, runs along the back of several houses and enters more woods on the other side of the estate.

Looking out of the front window at the snow tonight, I watched a fox climb up from the river, cross the road  and disappear again on the other side. When I took the dogs out a short time later, its little footprints were still there in the snow, remarkably similar to those of Ted and Boris, my Jack Russells.

Littleborough is only semi-rural, like many of the small towns in the Pennine foothills on both sides of the Lancashire/Yorkshire border. But we are blessed with a lot of wildlife. Tonight’s sighting puts me in mind of another last year. It was very early one summer morning and I was walking along the canal towpath when I spotted a dear walking along in front.

I assumed she would carry on to the bridge ahead to cross to the woods on the other side but to my amazement, she suddenly jumped into the canal, swam across, and climbed out on the other bank! 

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