23 April 2023

Urban Foxes in the UK – what’s a good place to photograph them?

As discussed in other posts, I am working on a long term project to photograph all of the wild cats and dogs of the world – or as many as I can, at any rate.    In addition to wanting to sample as many species as I can, I also want to show the subjects in a variety of ecosystems.

One aspect of that is urban adapted animals.  In the US there are coyote and bobcat, and sometimes even puma that live in cities – including my own backyard in a Seattle suburb.

Various documentaries I have seen in the last few years have shown urban-adapted foxes in the UK.

I gather that they are in many cities in the UK, from the smallest all the way to London.  So they are not exactly uncommon, but what I am looking for are locations that would be good for photography.   A photo taken in a city park might look just like the countryside.   What I want are photos where it is obvious that it is in a city – which is what the documentaries have shown – foxes trotting down a street beside parked cars and so forth.

Does anybody have suggestions about where to find such a setting?    This isn’t in imminent trip – I want to plan ahead for the future.

Nathan

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Nathan Myhrvold

I’m interested in photographing mammals around the world, particularly wild dogs and cats, and their cousins.  

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2 Comments

  • 23 April 2023
    aditnehra

    Last I heard (~3 yrs ago) there was denning pair behind the fields at denbigh high school in Luton. However I would not suggest making trip here unless you are already in area.
    The foxes are common in most towns and abundant in London (substantially higher fox density than English countryside). I think Bournemouth has highest density in UK. An hour of night walking in dimly lit, empty streets and alleys (in particular those near dumpsters) should produce at least a few foxes in any urbanised area. Be mindful of roadmen if carrying expensive camera equipment. Alternatively, many locals feed the foxes esp in suburbs and these habituated animals often have predictable routines. If you have the time you could even set your own bait station with cat food or table scraps.
    Best of luck

  • 25 April 2023
    Nathan Myhrvold

    Thanks for the suggestions. Going around with long lenses at night in a city is something best done in places where theft isn’t an issue. I generally think of the UK as being safe, but perhaps less so under those circumstances.

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