Beacon Hill Country Park

At 241 metres (802ft) above sea level, Beacon Hill is the second highest point in Leicestershire, and has outstanding panoramic views over the surrounding countryside. A major feature of The National Forest, it comprises around 135 hectares of mixed woodland, heath, grassland and adjoining farmland.

This rich mosaic of habitat attracts a diverse range of wildlife. Woodland birds are numerous, with all three species of woodpecker present, especially green woodpecker, which are not hard to miss as they fly overhead issuing their cackling call. The heathland, which is being restored to its former glory around the Beacon, is providing an important habitat for a wide range of plants, insects and reptiles. Common lizards can be found basking on stone walls and slow worms under old discarded metal.

Rabbits are also becoming increasingly tolerant of people and they seem to be everywhere. They make great subjects for photography and their presence attracts predators such as buzzards, stoats and foxes.

The park supports a healthy fox population and they can be encountered during early mornings and late evenings as they patrol the fields and woodland edges looking for prey.

I have been trying to photograph foxes for the past eight years but I have not had much success. Then at the beginning of May 2003 I came across the perfect den which I had been searching for, situated in a small belt of woodland, well away from any public footpaths, and I was confident that my constant presence would not attract any unwanted attention. For the vixen and cubs to accept me I had to be in position before dawn every day, regardless of the weather conditions. After a few weeks both vixen and cubs were completely at ease with my company and I felt very privileged to witness these animals at close quarters.

As the summer wore on the cubs were becoming increasingly bold and, together with their inquisitiveness, it enabled me to get the picture shown here. At first I scattered a few dog biscuits in the vicinity where I wanted to photograph them, but they would just grab the biscuits and move on.

To entice them to stay a bit longer I introduced some honey and one cub in particular loved the sweet taste and would always be first on the scene. The fox spent 15 minutes licking the honey and every now and then it would look up and stare in my direction for a few seconds. Every time it did, I just kept my finger on the button and fired off a few shots. On seeing the results the one shot I got of him licking his lips really stood out, and is one of my favourite photographs.

This article by local professional photographer Danny Green appeared in Outdoor Photography magazine in June 2004. We are very grateful he has allowed Forest Scene to reproduce an edited version. Outdoor Photography Subscriptions hotline: 01273 488005