Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The Fox and her Kits

This morning I went out to feed the sheep (who were bahing up a storm) and noticed that the chickens were making funny noises. It's strange, because it's not *that* different, but somehow I decided I should go check on them. Sure enough, there was a raccoon inside the barn, in the upper part of the coop (which thankfully only houses drying gourds right now and is separated from the chickens with chicken wire). The raccoon ran off, actually up the grain chute to the hay loft and
I stood below uncomfortably wondering if I should chase it more.

Ever since I heard the scary Halloween stories on This American Life that featured rabid raccoons, I haven't been that fond of the idea of getting close to them.

So I went back to the sheep. Then I went up to look through the window out at the field to see if I could see the raccoon.

Instead I caught sight of the fox... and her babies. She's got four! They were all out running around, jumping on top of each other, as their mom stood guard. They're probably 150 yards way so it's hard to get a good picture, but I tried:

Fox and her kits

Here's a tiny bit of video of them playing:



The chickens and the cats are all staying in today.
Posted by Liz Castro at 11:04 AM
Labels: ,

2 comments:

  1. Ugh, those dang foxes. Ours is getting more and more brazen, so I wonder if it's a female with kits somewhere as well. Today, our dog chased it, but as soon as he started coming back, the fox followed! The dog would stop and turn around to look and then the fox would be still, but as soon as the dog resumed running back to where I was walking, the fox would follow again! It was a little comical, but I really don't want a fox hunting on my yard.
    ReplyDelete
  2. I cannot tell a lie: I love the fox. I don't mind her living out there. I love watching the kits. I don't want her to eat my chickens (or my lambs!) but I think there's room for both of us. Also, Laika found a gnawed-on foot out by the fox's den. I've resisted putting up pictures because it's really gruesome looking (think CSI: Farm Edition) but I'm pretty sure it's a gopher or maybe a raccoon, both of which I won't miss nearly as much as I'd miss the fox.

    Our field is full of voles too, which is maybe why she had four! kits. And I've been a bit nervous as the gopher (which I see regularly) gets closer and closer to the garden. And, knock on wood, the fox hasn't gotten any of our animals this year, which means her healthy state is all from the wild.

    I need the fox!
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

My Books