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pargyle

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Location
Fareham, Hampshire UK
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
6
We live very near the centre of Fareham but have a lot of wildlife visiting the garden, foxes and badgers regularly come in and we've even had a deer that happily cleared a 6 foot fence to get in. We currently have two young female foxes in residence - underneath the concrete floor of my workshop .. we have a good pond (no fish .. just wild with lots of marginals and Loostrife - we only top it up with rainwater and in this heatwave the level is dropping daily. We have a trailcam and we noticed that the water in the pond is getting a bit difficult to access for the young foxes so we put a bowl of water out ... it was like the last water in the Serengeti last night ! Never seen so many foxes coming for a drink. We don't feed them although we know a lot of people who do - they all look pretty healthy and well fed but clearly appreciating some water.

If you have wildlife in your urban gardens could I suggest you make sure there is some water available in this hot weather~ the wildlife that visits will appreciate the water in this heat.
 
Our pond, quite near the back doors, has been getting regular visits from foxes the last few days too. In fact we nearly had one inquisitive fox indoors last night as we sat there with all of the doors and windows open trying to get a breeze through. We all seem to be suffering with this heatwave!

Unfortunately our pond has had to be topped up with tap water though. The water butt we usually reserve for topping up the pond has been dry as a bone for a couple of months now. We also have a few fish that would otherwise probably be flapping around in a puddle full of water lilies and weed otherwise.
 
How’s this for urban wildlife....and here was me blaming the cat for damage to a young plum tree I planted last year
 

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Yes indeedy.....served with red currant jelly.
 
They are beautiful but certainly destructive where young trees are planted as they rub their antlers against the tree, scraping off the bark, leading to the tree dying off.....( and here was me blaming the cat!)
 
Our pond, quitec near the back doors, has been getting regular visits from foxes the last few days too. In fact we nearly had one inquisitive fox indoors last night as we sat there with all of the doors and windows open trying to get a breeze through. We all seem to be suffering with this heatwave!

Unfortunately our pond has had to be topped up with tap water though. The water butt we usually reserve for topping up the pond has been dry as a bone for a couple of months now. We also have a few fish that would otherwise probably be flapping around in a puddle full of water lilies and weed otherwise.
If my water butt is empty and the pond needs a top up I top the butt up with tap water and leave it for 2-3 days while the chlorine evaporates. Then use it.
 
If my water butt is empty and the pond needs a top up I top the butt up with tap water and leave it for 2-3 days while the chlorine evaporates. Then use it.
Most water companies use chloramine these days rather than chlorine as it is more stable. Therefore the chlorine won't evaporate away like it did in the old days. If a pond contains fish or wildlife like newts and frogs and lots of tap water is added or on a regular basis it is a good idea to use a water conditioner you can get from pond and aquarium supplies to break down the chloramine. A little bit of tap water occasionally won't hurt anything though.
 
Most water companies use chloramine these days rather than chlorine as it is more stable. Therefore the chlorine won't evaporate away like it did in the old days. If a pond contains fish or wildlife like newts and frogs and lots of tap water is added or on a regular basis it is a good idea to use a water conditioner you can get from pond and aquarium supplies to break down the chloramine. A little bit of tap water occasionally won't hurt anything though.
Thanks for the info Kittih
 

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