May 03, 1984 - Four Foxes in the BackyardSECOND SECTION Tbr *Uffolh Timez
May 3,1984
Four Foxes "in the Backyard
ByPAUI,STOUTENBURGH
Last week an old friend called me all
excited about four young foxes he was
watching in his backyard. This
gentleman was once quite a hunter. Yet
the sight of these four young pups
probably did more for him than many a
hunting trip he took years ago. He
believes they burrowed under an old shed
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MOIETN
in the backyard and I'm sure he's right,
for from what we know about foxes, they
are pretty clever animals and would take
advantage of a nice dry spot during this
wet spring.
Right now there are baby rabbits
starting to run about. These become easy
picking for the mother fox. Yet foxes
have never wiped out the rabbit
population, and as we all know, rabbits
have the ability to keep their population
going. Once out of the nest, the mother
rabbit pretty well closes the door on
bringing up the young ones. But the job of
bringing them up before they leave the
nest is most hazardous, particularly
when you consider the circumstances she
has to work under.
The mere fact of being pregnant puts
her at a disadvantage what with cats,
dogs, foxes and owls all looking for a free
meal; she has to play it pretty cagey to
escape them. When she does give birth,
she uses a low depression in the ground
for her nest-like structure made out of
leaves and grass. Here, four or five
young will be born and remain in the nest
until they become active enough to
explore and feed on their own.
One early nest I found years ago was at
the base of an old manure pile out by the
stable. The old manure, which gave off
heat and was dry, made an ideal nesting
site. Besides grass and leaves, the
mother takes fur from her body to line
the nest, giving it that down jacket effect
to keep the young warm. She covers the
young in the nest with material from the
surrounding area so if you were to walk
by, you would not be able to tell there was
a family of young lying snugly just below
the surface. All this is done with those
predators I mentioned earlier always on
the lookout for one careless move of the
rabbit. The nest can be almost
anywhere; I have found them out in the
open pasture and even on the school
grounds with the busy activity of
children all about. Yet somehow the nest
was never disturbed.
Den Looks Like Battleground
Usually, the entrance to fox dens looks
something like a battleground, for the
triumphant mother brings a continual
stream of food to keep the young healthy,
happy and near the den. I have found
feathers from chickens and ducks, fur
from rabbits and other animals, fish
bones and even steak bones. The fox
takes advantage of every bit of food
available, sometimes even rummaging
through your garbage. It is nothing for a
fox to cover miles of territory in search
of food. You'll see their tracks along the
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER--The month of May flew into our picture window last year and was
should bring a multitude of colorful small warblers tem porari ly stu n ned.
into our area. This particular black and white warbler
beach and along the muddy creeks.
You'll find where they have been digging
for mice in open fields and I'm sure they
have prowled through your backyard at
one time or another.
These signs of young foxes and rabbits
tell us that spring really seems to be
moving along. I even saw a black and
white warbler this noon as Barbara and I
sat eating lunch on the patio. This is one
of the early arrivals of a group that in the
next few weeks should explode into a wild
array of small brightly-colored warblers
heading north to their nesting area. This
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stream of colorful birds will be the main
attraction for birders throughout the
land for it is in these weeks of May that
we get the greatest change and variety of
birds moving through. Look for these
colorful jittery little birds in your
backyard and woods. Some will be in the
treetops, others in the understory and
some will be found around the wet spots.
Each has its own special territory for
feeding and is seldom found outside that
perimeter.
Surely the weekend couldn't have been
much better. The city folks were out in
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We all know there's a change taking
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