Nature watch: January

Look out for black-backed gulls sheltering in bays and harbours along the coast, and listen out for foxes

Foxes make all kinds of nosies - huffing, whining, clicking and snickering. But it's their scream on a cold, frosty night - an eerie, drawn-out 'waaah' that is the scariest sound in the countryside. It's usually the vixen that makes it, and mostly in January - the peak of the breeding season. To a dog fox it must be sweet music and if mating follows, as it surely will, there should be cubs in the den just over seven weeks later.

If you wrap up warm and head for the coast, you can always expect to see gulls. They come in various sizes and colours, and the largest, most impressive one is the great black-backed gull, which can be up to 75cm long. Although less common than other gulls, this can be the best time of year to see them. In winter storms, when many gulls head to safety inland, the great black-backed sticks it out at the coast, sheltering from the wild weather in harbours and bays. Some are colonial birds, living in small groups and eating crustaceans and fish; bad weather can bring an additional feast of whale carcasses and washed-up fish on the beach. Powerful necks and massive, strong beaks mean they make light work of any carrion they find. Others lead solitary lives and stalk fellow seabirds; at this time of year they hunt the smaller birds that struggle to flee the UK for better weather.

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