Urban Red Foxes are such a feature of life in and around British cities that it's quite a surprise when people find them to be elusive. Of course, even in the British countryside they are a lot less evident.
I have seen two Red Foxes, fleetingly, in the three years since I moved to rural Northamptonshire. In suburban Essex it wouldn't be unusual to see them in broad daylight; suburban railway embankments are a lovely place for vulpine sunbathing!
My brother spent a year in England and Ireland and was surprised how few foxes he saw. He even worked for a horse trainer and rode in the country early most mornings. Here in Australia you would see them everyday early in the morning.
It's surprising to hear you say that, Monty, and evidence to me at least that they are a serious pest in your part of NSW. Red Foxes are many things, but they're not daft. UK rural farming communities with sheep and poultry do not like them and deal with them accordingly. The animals very wisely treat humans with a great deal of caution.
The same problems don't prevail in our cities. By and large, foxes don't cause serious damage there and many people are thrilled to see what is, by UK standards, a large indigenous mammal. Having said that, urban zoos, London in particular, find them a thumping great pain in the you-know-what..
