YOUNG FOXES GETTING BOLDER

Hello Fox Watchers!

Today's blog VIDEO is really spectacular. It is long but it just gets better and better to the end. The little foxes are really running around and testing their surroundings without adult supervision, though the parents are close by.

This video begins with the little foxes coming out first with out an adult fox. They seem afraid of EVERYTHING! ( I have observed from my many hours of fox watching that foxes are really scared of their own shadow! ) Though they are together, they even seem afraid of each other.

When you watch the video, look for the little girl fox who keeps coming out from the left of the screen. I think she must live behind the tree with mom fox. She is so much small than the rest of the foxes. ( Females tend to be smaller than the males)

I think that she was intimidated by her bigger male sibling when they were babies. Look at my blog in July for the pictures of the little baby foxes. You will see a photo of one of the foxes "yelling" at the littlest girl and she is cowering. I don't really see him bothering her anymore, but the trauma was server, I think, and that is why she is so timid.

When foxes start to grow up they will do this. The dominate fox gets more food and more attention. I can see from my videos that she is still timid, even around the adults. Sometimes I just want to go pet her and tell her everything is ok... of course that is just a fantasy. I would never pet the foxes for it is their Wild Nature that is so wonderful.

In the middle of the video, the parents come out and the little foxes stand back, like they are doing something they shouldn't be doing. Shyanne also shows up and it is clear that the kits are close to their grandma.

Nothing seems to bother Shyanne for she is the sage of foxes.

In the end of the video, 4 -5 foxes are all there and the little ones are still scurrying about, scaring themselves along the way. Look how fast they flee when "something" scares them.

. The adult foxes have taught them well... a smart fox is a cautious fox!

I hope you get to watch this whole video. It was a great day for Fox Watching In Micanopy, Florida that day.

All the best,

Sandra

HOME COMING

August 1st, 2010


This is a photograph of Young Mom and her partner Handsome Fox.

If you notice the mom is still showing from nursing her young. It was early June when I took this image. Mother is not showing at all any more and the young juveniles are running around, and emulating their parents at this point. They are getting braver everyday as it is not long now that they will move away from "home" and start their quest to make their own family.

This is the second litter I have watched grow up. I get pangs of "empty nest" myself , knowing that they will all be leaving soon. It will be interesting to see who stays behind the tree this fall.



August 1st, 2010 ...I just returned from my art show in Ann Arbor Michigan where the fox photos were a big hit! I heard many stories from other people about the fox or foxes they have seen but most people have never seen a fox in the wild before and rarely a gray fox.

Whenever I leave for an art fair, I am always afraid that when I get home that all the foxes will have moved on.

However, that has not been the case as they live and play and raise their young here. I am just part of all that to them.... when I am here, they know I bring them treats but they do not rely on my small hand out for food.

They are great hunters and love to eat bugs and moles and other small rodents. There is plenty of fox food around here!

When they come to the fox brunch, it is a way for them to gather and enjoy each others company and the day without fear that something will happen to them. If I had a dog, I would not have foxes. Most people who live in the county have dogs so their property is not safe for a fox. That is why I think I have so many here.

Sandra

young fox joins his grandma

In both of these photographs there is an adult fox with a kit. They really protect the young foxes and try to keep them from coming out but they are getting old enough to not always do what they are told.

This is a great video of two of the young foxes by themselves. Watch how fast they move around.

They seem like they are having a lot of fun if you ask me... but a little scared of everything that moves....there are 2 parts to this video fox watch for July 14th, 2010. Tip: you can watch both videos at the same time if you are pressed for time. I try to keep the videos under 3 minutes each but sometimes they get a little longer.

Cheers,

Sandra

TWO BABY FOX EXPLORING

THESE LITTLE FOXES ARE ABOUT 2-3 MONTHS OLD AND THEY ARE DISCOVERING THE WORLD OUT THERE... AREN'T THEY ADORABLE? THEY WERE BORN UNDER THIS OLD BUILDING.