Help! My apples have vanished

twopenny

I've had 3 huge Cox apples hanging on my little tree that I can see from my window.

They were firmly atttached so I left them there to keep fresh.

Today was the day to pick. Went out and they've vanished 

I've looked all around, gardens quite clear at this time of year, and there's no sign.
No cores, no damage. Just vanished.

What could have happened?
Verging on open land there's badgers, rats, crows, hedgehogs.
I did open the door one night this week and heard something scrabble up and over the fence but assumed a cat.

What would remove 3 whole apples - the size larger than a cricket ball?

HumberFlyer

There is a species known as humans..... some are known to scurry around in the night 

twopenny

I do have my suspicions of my neighbours weird 65yr old son.
Forgot to mention that there's a 6'-7' fence around. The side where the apples are is 5' with trellis.
Garden very secure, no one with access. No passers by. The tree is not visible to any one but me and my neighbour.

But I've waited 4yrs for these apples.

Emmia

You should've picked them earlier!

I suspect they've been nicked by someone, perhaps on the basis (if they've been there a while, keeping fresh) that you weren't going to pick them yourself.

43722

Probably being used as spare parts for Apple Computers....

Lorian

Blackbirds would pinch them here

Crag30

The crows knicked our pears

Clive_Woody

The crows love our apples, the squirrels eat the pears and the blackbirds love the raspberries. Pretty sure I'm just growing fruit to support the local wildlife.

ka7e

Crows get at our pears, but they peck at them on the tree and I can't imagine them flying off with a whole one. A badger would probably damage the tree and other parts of the garden. A fox is agile enough to scale a 6' fence and might take whole fruits.

DullGreyGuy

Saw a squirrel running along our balcony with 90% of an apple in its mouth, no idea where it picked up from. Bit smaller than a cricket ball but not much. Eventually took a leap and scarpered off into the thicket of trees behind ours. 

Can't say seen foxes take fruit but have seen them with their head in a crisp packet kindly left behind by some random people picnicking in the thicket. 

twopenny

All good points.
Well next year there will be netting on thee trellis between me and my neighbours. I like to share but this is a step too far.
In fact the scrabbling noise was loud and neighbours gaate not closed properly as I went round to secure i before the storm and that's unusual.

We have crows newley moved in, squirrels are a given.
Foxes are a maybe. Haven't seen any but heard them at mating time.

I'd postponed picking as friends were generous so only just finished donated apples.
So it's foxes or humans.......