Taking a break.
Apparently, the fox pups have dispersed away from any active dens, and they are probably out and about with their parents learning what it takes to hunt for themselves and live on their own. I am guessing that this is mostly being done at night since I seldom see the parents or the pups these days. At the time this photo was taken, I’d often see the male fox out in broad daylight making the rounds of the neighborhood in search of whatever food he could find to take back to the family. Nearly always on the move and seldom lingering, he quickly roamed about with obvious intensity.
On this day, I was gazing out a window in the back of the house when I saw the fox snooping around places where chipmunks have tunnels. The fox knew of these places and often came by in case the chipmunks were a bit too far from the tunnels to get into them before he could snatch them. After no success in that endeavor, he trotted over to the shredded leaf pile you see in the picture and plopped down for a rest. During his stay there, he yawned, he stretched, he napped, he scratched, and he gawked around. For 10 or 15 minutes, he seemed to be just taking it easy. Until I saw this, whenever I had seen him, he was active and intent. He was lean, perhaps hungry himself. And he looked tired. For a few minutes, I got a peek into a bit of behavior that I hadn’t expected to see. In this photo, I see contentment. Within minutes, the intensity returned, and he was back on the hunt.
Taking a break.
Apparently, the fox pups have dispersed away from any active dens, and they are probably out and about with their parents learning what it takes to hunt for themselves and live on their own. I am guessing that this is mostly being done at night since I seldom see the parents or the pups these days. At the time this photo was taken, I’d often see the male fox out in broad daylight making the rounds of the neighborhood in search of whatever food he could find to take back to the family. Nearly always on the move and seldom lingering, he quickly roamed about with obvious intensity.
On this day, I was gazing out a window in the back of the house when I saw the fox snooping around places where chipmunks have tunnels. The fox knew of these places and often came by in case the chipmunks were a bit too far from the tunnels to get into them before he could snatch them. After no success in that endeavor, he trotted over to the shredded leaf pile you see in the picture and plopped down for a rest. During his stay there, he yawned, he stretched, he napped, he scratched, and he gawked around. For 10 or 15 minutes, he seemed to be just taking it easy. Until I saw this, whenever I had seen him, he was active and intent. He was lean, perhaps hungry himself. And he looked tired. For a few minutes, I got a peek into a bit of behavior that I hadn’t expected to see. In this photo, I see contentment. Within minutes, the intensity returned, and he was back on the hunt.