Clever Little Red Fox - The Fast and the Furriest

A Beautiful Red Fox

Early on Sunday morning a special visitor appeared in our front yard, a beautiful red fox. An uncommon and wonderful site. She had a well shaped usual fox head and that distinctively furry tail with the patch of white on the end. Definitely a welcome yet unusual site for a Sunday morning.

She was very timid as she crept out of the wooded edge of our property. Even though she was very shy she headed towards the center of our front yard with a sense of purpose that seems very natural to an intelligent fox. Always on the lookout for predators with her head up and nose to the wind. She would stop, pausing for a moment to nibble on something as she kept a wary eye on the front door, ready to dart in an instant.

She explored the area around our bird feeder looking for some treats that had been left out for the crows and ravens. Today would be her turn as she began to eat all that she could find. It wasn’t long before every morsel was gone and she would look towards the house as if asking for more. As she looked about you just knew that no other bird or animal for that matter would challenge her for her right to be there.

The Noble Red Fox

As the sun rises and the morning light dances off her orange coat she explores our yard, jumping nervously as a crow suddenly swoops down at her. The crows undaunted by the natural order of things began their relentless campaign to have this interloper leave the area immediately. They began to caw as if yelling, “leave now, and don’t take any of that amazing food with you”.

But our noble red fox, is here for her breakfast, not for a confrontation. Certainly her mind is not on these annoying black birds but maybe it is on her nearby kits and their busy day ahead. They will need to fuel up and this is their opportunity. She needs to get some of this food back to her brood and do it without the interference of quick little flying thieves.

Her biggest fear while Living on the border of suburbia and the forest, are the predators she does not understand. Often people and their huge powerful vehicles are careless and have taken the lives of many a woodland creature, the red fox is no exception. The easy meals from household leftovers that supplement her diet are too tempting to pass up. As long as she travels during dusk or during the dawn hours when few people are out and around she should be safe enough.

The edge of the forest

I love living at the forest’s edge because you just never know which of it’s citizen’s will visit your yard. Songbirds of all sorts fill the spring air with music, sometimes a rabbit or squirrel scurries by and then on the rare occasion a special treat like this fox , ruffed grouse or a deer ventures out. They always seem to know the food and forest friends are here. It’s as if there is a communication between them that goes beyond words. The sites, the sounds and especially the beautiful visitors makes every day here in Nova Scotia, an artists dream.

On a spring day the sounds of a woodpecker thrumming away, ravens croaking overhead and as the sun sets the musical sounds of spring peepers fills my heart with peace.