Barbara, I hope I have read all the emails on this issue and cannot read of any mention of smell. Is it not simply a matter of smell? It is well known that birds can smell and foxes smell very different to dogs.
Chris
From: Barbara Allan [
Sent: Friday, 20 July 2012 11:15 AM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] bedlam (briefly) at Hawker ovals
After the worst of the frost the corgi and I headed out on one of our regular beats around Hawker ovals. We enjoyed a few somewhat unusual sightings for the area, namely a pair of Scarlet Robins and a male Golden Whistler, saw a magpie putting the finishing touches to its nest, enjoyed watching the “regulars” and socialising with other dogs and dog-walkers. Then all hell broke loose. A fox swaggered its way up the path and was set upon by a posse of magpies, currawongs and miners. Encouraged by the bedlam, one of the dogs gave chase. The fox was last seen beating a decidedly rapid retreat up Delamere St. The thing that particularly interested me in this episode was the birds’ ability to differentiate between a fox and the domestic dogs, who were quite ignored by the angry mob. b
