Ballymacraven River Residents - Fox

Sionnach, the red fox 🦊 (Vulpes vulpes) spotted along the Ballymacraven river in October via a trail camera we have set up!

Foxes are omnivores, meaning that they have a diverse diet of meat, insects, vegetation and carrion (dead animals). A strong trait of the fox is their adaptability to live in a broad range of habitats from rural areas such as forests and open country side to urban areas. They are important to our ecosystem for many reasons, one being that they act as population control of rodents, helping limit the spread of disease.

They are Irelands only wild member of the dog family (canid) and are excellent swimmers, they use this ability to cross rivers and lakes in search of food or new territories. These cunning canids are the second known in the canid family, after wolves, to be able to hunt fish. They are primarily nocturnal (active during the night) and solitary hunters, yet live in close family units.

Who have you seen along the river? We'd love to know, submit your spotting's to the River Sightings Submission form at the top of the page or click HERE to be brought to it.