Fox cubs spotted near York Bar Walls in city centre

The vixen and her six cubs have been spotted outside their den close to the Bar Walls by keen amateur photographer, Sebastian Robson.

The 30-year-old who is half German and half British spotted the group close to his own home.

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The fox cubs exploring their surroundings (Image: Sebastian Robson)

He said: "I came across the foxes because I live close to the York city walls.

"I've noticed them as there is a big den near a bush and sometimes at night they make some interesting noises.

"I think the foxes and cubs are lovely, especially when they play with each other, and it shows that even within the city, York is a great place for wildlife - not to mention all the ducks and geese.

"Looking at Mrs Fox and her cubs is lovely and a reminder that we have to protect them as much as we can."

Sebastian, who did his masters degree at the University of York, now works for Taylors of Harrogate as an innovation manager for Yorkshire Tea and and says he enjoys photography in his spare time. 

Sebastian is a fan of the foxes (Image: Sebastian Robson)

In recent years more and more people have had the thrill of spotting urban foxes in York, but Yorkshire Wildlife Trust say they have probably been present in our cities in very small numbers for some time, and there are even reports of foxes living in Victorian London.

The vixen with her cubs (Image: Sebastian Robson)

A trust spokesperson said they think it’s a common myth that foxes are increasing and that, for most cities, maximum densities were reached a long time ago - most urban fox populations regulate their own numbers, by limiting the number of cubs they produce each year. This they do remarkably successfully, and the cubs that survive to adulthood almost exactly replace the number of adult foxes that die each year.

Urban foxes have very varied diet and eat earthworms, insects, fruit and vegetables and a wide variety of wild birds. Insects include large numbers of beetles, cut worms - the larvae of noctuid moths, which they get off lawns on wet nights, and both larval and adult craneflies.

Most of the birds they eat are feral pigeons and small garden birds, and the most frequently eaten mammals are generally field voles, abundant on allotments, railway lines and other grassy areas.

A Yorkshire Wildlife Trust spokesperson said: “It’s such a delight to see urban wildlife and young families at play. You are most likely to see foxes at dawn or dusk when they are usually more active.

"They spend their days in a sheltered, secluded spot either above or below ground. Here in York, we have lots of railway, waterway and disused railway routes for them to move about on, and they seem to make the most of these networks.”

The vixen feeding her cubs (Image: Sebastian Robson)