I always throw any left over food, chicken bones etc under the hedge, in
the evening in the one spot, and for years we have had a fox or two and
a badger visiting for them.
A few weeks ago I chucked out a chicken carcass, then went out about
half an hour later with a few more scraps, this would have been about
10pm, something moved away grumbling, making sounds I've never heard
form our visitors before, it's grumbling carried on till it was a good
50 yards away.
Then over this last weekend I found a casserole dish of pasta I'd
forgotten, it was niffing a lot, but I thought they would clear it.
I was wrong , in the morning something had scratched all round it to
bury it the same as a cat will cover it's mess.
The area scratched was about a Sq. yard, the next night more covering.
Now I doubt it's a Fox, but a Fussy Badger?
Any ideas?
David @ the baking end of Swansea bay where it reached 80F today.

"David Hill" wrote

I always throw any left over food, chicken bones etc under the hedge, in
the evening in the one spot, and for years we have had a fox or two and a
badger visiting for them.
A few weeks ago I chucked out a chicken carcass, then went out about half
an hour later with a few more scraps, this would have been about 10pm,
something moved away grumbling, making sounds I've never heard form our
visitors before, it's grumbling carried on till it was a good 50 yards
away.
Then over this last weekend I found a casserole dish of pasta I'd
forgotten, it was niffing a lot, but I thought they would clear it.
I was wrong , in the morning something had scratched all round it to bury
it the same as a cat will cover it's mess.
The area scratched was about a Sq. yard, the next night more covering.
Now I doubt it's a Fox, but a Fussy Badger?
Any ideas?

When you say "grumbling" exactly what do you mean? Was it a pig (or
hedgehog) type noise, or cat like, or dog like?
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 26/07/2012 23:50, Bob Hobden wrote:
"David Hill" wrote

I always throw any left over food, chicken bones etc under the hedge,
in the evening in the one spot, and for years we have had a fox or two
and a badger visiting for them.
A few weeks ago I chucked out a chicken carcass, then went out about
half an hour later with a few more scraps, this would have been about
10pm, something moved away grumbling, making sounds I've never heard
form our visitors before, it's grumbling carried on till it was a good
50 yards away.
Then over this last weekend I found a casserole dish of pasta I'd
forgotten, it was niffing a lot, but I thought they would clear it.
I was wrong , in the morning something had scratched all round it to
bury it the same as a cat will cover it's mess.
The area scratched was about a Sq. yard, the next night more covering.
Now I doubt it's a Fox, but a Fussy Badger?
Any ideas?

When you say "grumbling" exactly what do you mean? Was it a pig (or
hedgehog) type noise, or cat like, or dog like?

Not a sound I've heard before, I know it wasn't pig, moved to fast for
hedgehog, and certainly not a noise I've ever heard a cat or dog make.
Last night I disturbed a badger, and all it did was to move off along
the hedge.

On 27/07/2012 09:41, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:44:47 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I always throw any left over food, chicken bones etc under the hedge, in
the evening in the one spot, and for years we have had a fox or two and
a badger visiting for them.
A few weeks ago I chucked out a chicken carcass, then went out about
half an hour later with a few more scraps, this would have been about
10pm, something moved away grumbling, making sounds I've never heard
form our visitors before, it's grumbling carried on till it was a good
50 yards away.
Then over this last weekend I found a casserole dish of pasta I'd
forgotten, it was niffing a lot, but I thought they would clear it.
I was wrong , in the morning something had scratched all round it to
bury it the same as a cat will cover it's mess.
The area scratched was about a Sq. yard, the next night more covering.
Now I doubt it's a Fox, but a Fussy Badger?
Any ideas?
David @ the baking end of Swansea bay where it reached 80F today.

If you google for 'badger sounds' and 'fox sounds', you'll get links
to recordings of the noises they make. I suspect male and female
badgers aren't called boar and sow for no reason.

What I find strange is the covering up of the foul food.
I'll try the "sounds" search.
Thanks

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 27/07/2012 09:41, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:44:47 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I always throw any left over food, chicken bones etc under the hedge, in
the evening in the one spot, and for years we have had a fox or two and
a badger visiting for them.
A few weeks ago I chucked out a chicken carcass, then went out about
half an hour later with a few more scraps, this would have been about
10pm, something moved away grumbling, making sounds I've never heard
form our visitors before, it's grumbling carried on till it was a good
50 yards away.
Then over this last weekend I found a casserole dish of pasta I'd
forgotten, it was niffing a lot, but I thought they would clear it.
I was wrong , in the morning something had scratched all round it to
bury it the same as a cat will cover it's mess.
The area scratched was about a Sq. yard, the next night more covering.
Now I doubt it's a Fox, but a Fussy Badger?
Any ideas?
David @ the baking end of Swansea bay where it reached 80F today.

If you google for 'badger sounds' and 'fox sounds', you'll get links
to recordings of the noises they make. I suspect male and female
badgers aren't called boar and sow for no reason.

What I find strange is the covering up of the foul food.
I'll try the "sounds" search.
Thanks

Why do you find it strange? I think it's very intelligent of whatever did
it to cover up stinkingly bad food that may have harmed them if they ate it.
If you have such food again, put in in your dustbin - what benefit can the
wildlife have from it? None, and they told you so by burying it. Probably
a fox.

Tina

On 27/07/2012 23:46, Christina Websell wrote:
"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 27/07/2012 09:41, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:44:47 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I always throw any left over food, chicken bones etc under the hedge, in
the evening in the one spot, and for years we have had a fox or two and
a badger visiting for them.
A few weeks ago I chucked out a chicken carcass, then went out about
half an hour later with a few more scraps, this would have been about
10pm, something moved away grumbling, making sounds I've never heard
form our visitors before, it's grumbling carried on till it was a good
50 yards away.
Then over this last weekend I found a casserole dish of pasta I'd
forgotten, it was niffing a lot, but I thought they would clear it.
I was wrong , in the morning something had scratched all round it to
bury it the same as a cat will cover it's mess.
The area scratched was about a Sq. yard, the next night more covering.
Now I doubt it's a Fox, but a Fussy Badger?
Any ideas?
David @ the baking end of Swansea bay where it reached 80F today.

If you google for 'badger sounds' and 'fox sounds', you'll get links
to recordings of the noises they make. I suspect male and female
badgers aren't called boar and sow for no reason.

What I find strange is the covering up of the foul food.
I'll try the "sounds" search.
Thanks

Why do you find it strange? I think it's very intelligent of whatever did
it to cover up stinkingly bad food that may have harmed them if they ate it.
If you have such food again, put in in your dustbin - what benefit can the
wildlife have from it? None, and they told you so by burying it. Probably
a fox.

Tina

What I find strange is the way it was covered, just as if it had been
done by a cat, but no cat would draw from an area of a Sq. Yard.
This is the first time in over 10 years that anything has been rejected.

"David Hill" wrote in message
...


What I find strange is the way it was covered, just as if it had been done
by a cat, but no cat would draw from an area of a Sq. Yard.
This is the first time in over 10 years that anything has been rejected.

Because you should never have offered a stinking pasta offering like that to
your wildlife and they told you where it should go.
If you want to feed wildlife at least give them something nice. They aren't
there to hoover up mouldy bread and stinking food that has gone well off.

Tina

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 27/07/2012 23:46, Christina Websell wrote:
"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 27/07/2012 09:41, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:44:47 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I always throw any left over food, chicken bones etc under the hedge,
in
the evening in the one spot, and for years we have had a fox or two
and
a badger visiting for them.
A few weeks ago I chucked out a chicken carcass, then went out about
half an hour later with a few more scraps, this would have been about
10pm, something moved away grumbling, making sounds I've never heard
form our visitors before, it's grumbling carried on till it was a good
50 yards away.
Then over this last weekend I found a casserole dish of pasta I'd
forgotten, it was niffing a lot, but I thought they would clear it.
I was wrong , in the morning something had scratched all round it to
bury it the same as a cat will cover it's mess.
The area scratched was about a Sq. yard, the next night more covering.
Now I doubt it's a Fox, but a Fussy Badger?
Any ideas?
David @ the baking end of Swansea bay where it reached 80F today.

If you google for 'badger sounds' and 'fox sounds', you'll get links
to recordings of the noises they make. I suspect male and female
badgers aren't called boar and sow for no reason.

What I find strange is the covering up of the foul food.
I'll try the "sounds" search.
Thanks

Why do you find it strange? I think it's very intelligent of whatever
did
it to cover up stinkingly bad food that may have harmed them if they ate
it.
If you have such food again, put in in your dustbin - what benefit can
the
wildlife have from it? None, and they told you so by burying it.
Probably
a fox.

Tina

What I find strange is the way it was covered, just as if it had been done
by a cat, but no cat would draw from an area of a Sq. Yard.
This is the first time in over 10 years that anything has been rejected.

But did you ever put something out for them to eat that was so bad as that?
Please don't put food out that is obviously stinky and bad for wildlife.
Put it in the dustbin.
They told you what they thought of it.
Feed the foxes and badger if you want to, but not with stinking pasta. I'm
surprised you even offered it outside to your wildlife. THROW IT AWAY

In article ,
Janet wrote:

Why do you find it strange? I think it's very intelligent of whatever did
it to cover up stinkingly bad food that may have harmed them if they ate it.

Anthropomorphic misinformation.

Other species physiology is very different from human physiology
especially in the digestive tract. Carnivorous mammals, reptiles and
birds' digestive systems are designed to harmlessly digest carrion/
rotting meat and bones using powerful enzymes in their saliva, and
stomach acids. They will happily (and harmlessly) eat animal faeces;
coprophagia is common and even beneficial.

Well, actually, it's even less accurate than that!

Some predators cannot eat carrion, and quite a few animals cannot
eat overripe or event slightly rotting fruit etc. Mostly tropical
ones, where fresh food is easier to come by, but they exist.
However, most of the dog and corvid families (to name but two)
are adapted to eating carrion, as you say. And so are crocodiles.

But the biggest mistake is to say is that we differ. We don't.
We can probably eat a wider range of 'off' foods than any animal
except rats - it is merely modern 'supermarket culture' that
makes people believe we are different. It was traditional to
hang game birds until they were definitely starting to rot;
even now, good beef is matured for weeks. And then we get onto
cheese (especially blue and ripe soft cheeses), bletting and
fermentation, etc. etc.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick wrote


Well, actually, it's even less accurate than that!

Some predators cannot eat carrion, and quite a few animals cannot
eat overripe or event slightly rotting fruit etc. Mostly tropical
ones, where fresh food is easier to come by, but they exist.
However, most of the dog and corvid families (to name but two)
are adapted to eating carrion, as you say. And so are crocodiles.

But the biggest mistake is to say is that we differ. We don't.
We can probably eat a wider range of 'off' foods than any animal
except rats - it is merely modern 'supermarket culture' that
makes people believe we are different. It was traditional to
hang game birds until they were definitely starting to rot;
even now, good beef is matured for weeks. And then we get onto
cheese (especially blue and ripe soft cheeses), bletting and
fermentation, etc. etc.


The farm butcher we use for our beef hangs it for 28 day minimum. It's very
dark red/brown when we buy it with yellow fat as good beef should be, it is
always tender and very tasty, such that a 74 year old friend said it was the
best beef he had tasted in his life.
Supermarkets seem to have convinced people beef should be bright pink, the
opposite of what it should look like.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

The farm butcher we use for our beef hangs it for 28 day minimum. It's
very dark red/brown when we buy it with yellow fat as good beef should
be, it is always tender and very tasty, such that a 74 year old friend
said it was the best beef he had tasted in his life.
Supermarkets seem to have convinced people beef should be bright pink,
the opposite of what it should look like.


A thing I was very glad about when I worked in Cardiff, The butcher I
had was great, I would go in on a Friday and ask him what I was having
for the weekend.
If he had beef that had gone dark then that was what I would have, he
used to say it was better to sell it to me a little cheaper, as by the
time he had cut off all the dark meat, which he couldn't even use in
sausages, he would make less on it.
I used to get some lovely Ribs of beef.
David @ the showery end of Swansea Bay, 2 short sharp showers in the
last 30 mins.

In article ,
Janet wrote:

I give up: which predators can't eat carrion?

I can't remember, but I think that it includes many (most?) of the
raptors, many of the cats, probably water shrews, and so on.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.