The Fox

Just as I was sitting down at my desk around 1:00 pm the mother fox appeared in the yard by the bird feeder. She moved slowly, trotted into the back yard, listened, then trotted up the driveway. She disappeared into the ditch for a few minutes then reappeared at the top of the driveway. By then I had grabbed my camera and snapped this photo through the window as the fox stood listening. Nothing caused her to pounce. Abruptly she turned and trotted down the road.

click on photo to enlarge

The den is in the opposite direction. The two pups (or kits) that I've seen are under a shed at a nearby house that is currently unoccupied. They are dangerously close to a busy road, one of the greatest threats to their survival. I saw the mother farther down the road hunting in woods along a stone wall. She was about a mile from the den.

Red fox are small, the adults weighing only about 10 pounds. They are all legs, tail, and fur. Their skinny legs are black as are their feet. The long, bushy tail is tipped in white. Their reddish color easily distinguishes them from the gray fox. The young stay with their mother for many months, so we should see the family all summer assuming they learn to avoid the busy road.