Heron versus Fox?

[Grandalf]

Don't know if this should be under fowling or vermin control but here goes.

 

Out fowling in Norfolk this morning. Near one of our 'big' rivers looking across the grazing marshes waiting for the pinks.

They came past - high - and it all went quiet again. Something caught my eye about 70 yards in front of me. Vanished so quickly couldn't identify it. Thought otter at first but when it reappeared out of the drainage dyke saw it was a fox. It scampered round in a very tight circle and vanished into the dyke again. I think it was probably chasing a vole or similar but didn't see anything.

A few minutes later it appeared again and stayed in view walking along the edge of the dyke towards me.

Then a heron came belting across the marsh about twenty feet above ground and screamed - the only word for it - at the fox. It then flew very tight circles overhead Charlie - still at about twenty feet - screaming its head off and took 3 or 4 practice attack runs at it as well. Foxy looked well annoyed at this unwanted attention but just stood his ground. This went on for about four minutes then the heron decided it had scolded it enough and flew off across the river - still hollering its head off.

Fox climbed down into dyke and I didn't see it again for about ten minutes. I then saw it standing twenty yards from me and I thought it had seen me - it just wandered off along the edge of the reed bed.

When it was a hundred yards off I squeaked, off the back of my hand, and it came back at full belt. When it was four yards in front of me I stood up and shouted bang! You can imagine the result...

 

We can't shoot foxes on this area.

 

Anyone else ever seen a heron mobbing a fox? I have often observed crows do it.

 

[Whitebridges]

That was a nice yarn Grandalf.

I've seen quite a few foxes in the margins working the edges but never harnser mobbing them. I've seen harnser get very upset with otters interfering when they are fishing though both on the Thurne and Bure.