THE POXES OF HAROLD WOOD by Ian Misselbrook
As far back as anyone can remember, foxes have
roamed the fields east of Harold Wood and, despite
houses and factories encroaching on their hunting
grounds, they still remain common. This is probably
because these versatile creatures have adapted so
well to their new environment, making the transition
from predator to scavenger. A fox I watched and
tracked last Spring proved this to me.
An hour or so before the sun sank over the
horizon it would emerge from its earth in the hedge-
row to have a romp and a scratch in the large corn-
field before going off to hunt. It would then hunt
along the hedgerow as far as the railway embankment,
where it would hunt mice and voles in the long grass.
This embankment leads it right into the heart of the
growing town of Harold Hood, across the Ingrebourne
River that separates town from country. This is
where the transition from predator to scavenger would
occur, and the next part of the night is spent rum-
maging in dustbins and amongst rubbish left by man
— the fox's chief enemy. The fox probably recrosses
the river where an elevated pipeline spans its
waters. It would then return to the fields as a
proud hunter and a true fox.
This is the territory of our present fox, but
from 1970 until the beginning of 1972, a pair of foxes,
probably the parents of this one, hunted these fields
and also the fields on the other side of the main road.
I first saw these foxes in the Summer of 1970, when
separated, they were often about by day. I saw them
together for the first time in late August, soon after*'
the corn was cut. In the two months that followed,
they were a fine sight, dashing across the stubble and
plough just before sunset. I continued to see them
often during the Winter, and I heard them yapping on
some nights too, but in the Spring, when the corn
began to grow, concealing them, sightings became in-
frequent. I was assured of their presence, however,