Back on January 5, I wrote a post about the fox or foxes that were frequenting our little lot up on the mountain. After enjoying seeing them for a while, I decided that they were getting too familiar with people and not respecting all the harm people can cause, so I started throwing rocks at them, and they disappeared. For a while. Now one is back. I presume it’s the same one as before. I heard Zeke barking and went outside to investigate. He was barking at a fox that was relaxing on the leach field, which we can see from the elevated walk that leads to our front door. The fox ignored him. He watched as I tried to get a shot, but was pretty nonchalant.
The fox came back.
I had a suspicion what he was up to. I have been seeing what I presume, and now am pretty sure, was fox poop around the front of the house, including on the paved part of the drive in front of the garage. That’s where Leah puts out cat food for the outdoor cats. So I took up the food and watched the fox. Sure enough, after a while he got up and wandered up onto the driveway.
Looking for cat food
It was close to dark for both of these shots, so I had to rest the camera on the railing and hope the fox would stay still enough to get a decent shot. He moved a little in the second shot. After I took his photo, he checked where the food usually is, and then turned around and left.
Apparently he has forgotten about the rocks, or he decided I wasn’t really serious. At this point I’m inclined to leave him alone and let him eat whatever cat food he finds.
Nice fox pics! We have been feeding a feral cat for a couple of months. I put out a can of food early every morning in the compost bin, where we first saw him rummaging around for something to eat. The cat is often waiting for me now, and eats everything I put in his bowl. A couple of times over the past few weeks, he hasn’t shown up until late in the day. Not sure why. I always check to see if anyone else eats the food, and so far, it stays untouched until he shows up. I’m glad for that. Roger saw a fox ambling along in front of the house a few days ago. I know a skunk comes to feed in the compost bin, but I don’t think the fox has come for a feast there yet!
Now this is the kind of Fox News I can appreciate. I’m sure I have foxes in my woods, but I’ve never seen a one. And I don’t leave any dog food out.
I share your concerns about the foxes getting too accustomed to humans, but it must still be thrilling to see them.
Robin Andrea – I was surprised that the foxes actually ate the cat food, but this one’s behavior pretty much confirmed it for me. He was definitely checking out the place where we put the food.
Pablo – Yes, it really is neat to see the foxes. I think they must have moved in fairly recently, because I never saw them until last year. No sign of them or their signature poop all during the construction from about 1999 or after we moved in in 2005. This one watches us, but acts like he’s not afraid, and that’s dangerous for him.
Neat photos, Mark!
We usually had fox denning around our farm and you might be surprised how bold they can be when it comes to food. One day while I was milking the goats, a female fox ran in the door and grabbed one of my large Muscovy ducks by the head and ran back outside and off across the field with her. The duck was too heavy to carry, but the fox just dragged it along by the head. I was a little saddened to lose the duck, but I know the fox must have been quite desperate for food to have risked coming in the barn while I was no more than 20 feet away. They are also very curious creatures. When one of my sable collies was a few months old, a fox occasionally came up on the lawn to stare at the collie when it was sitting out on the back deck. Occasionally, it would make a little yip at the pup and do a quick spin around like “come and play!”. The same fox would occasionally come and sit about 20 feet from me while I crouched down to fil a bushel basket with clover for our laying hens each day. It would just sit quietly to watch and then trot away when I stood up. No real explanation for all of this behaviour apart from the fact that these were fox that were born and raised in a den not too far from our house, so our yard and gardens probably seemed like home to them. While doing stream survey work, I have seen fox dens in very urban setting such as in steep stream banks right behind the back yards of houses. They are a lot like coyote – real survivor types.