Coyotes Are Territorial

Driving on a back road I saw this coyote running full speed parallel to the road and in the same direction I was driving. I had my camera in my lap and got a couple of quick shots of him. I noticed him looking back a couple of times and there some distance behind him was the reason for his apparent panic

This coyote was coming like gangbusters. It was a marvelous animal, bigger than the other, and looked to be a much more powerful animal, running, leaping and digging in, giving it all he had in what appeared to be a chase after the first coyote. As they went up over the hill and out of sight, we had to drive farther up the road to the other side of the hill to a place we could park and get out of the car.

As we got out of the car, here came the first coyote, the one who was being pursued, around the bend, still glancing back, panting, but no longer running for his life. I am guessing that this coyote was in the other coyote's territory and was being run out. Once he was over the hill and gone the pursuing coyote gave up the chase. It was a very dramatic scene.

A bit later, and in a different area altogether, we came upon this little guy. He look to be young, of a smaller stature, and seemingly less of a coat. Notice his tail which is not bushy at all. I know coyotes get mange but I don't know what that would look like. Any thoughts on whether this coyote has mange?

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Red Foxes

I had never experienced anything quite like photographing red foxes. I was with them nearly all day, for three days in a row. I was so taken by them, especially the way they related to each other. Above is the dog fox, the adult male of the group, with one of his offsrping, a female kit fox. In this family group there were two vixen, one was the grandmother, the other the mother of three kits. The adult females attended the den all day with one or the other going off to hunt, returning with food for the kits. Missing most of the day was the dog fox and when he would return the kits all gravitated to him. All of the kits seemed to adore the dog fox but the moments between him and his daughter were especially touching. What a gorgeous, photogenic animal he is. When I returned a year later he was still there and there was a whole new brood of kits. I am hoping to return again this year having missed last year due to a bout with covid. I hope this particular fox is still there

Family Life Of Red Foxes

The family life of a red fox is a joy to observe. The kits are very much like puppies, jumping on and chasing each other almost the entire day. Of particular interest is how the Vixens teach the kits to eventually become self sufficient around their food supply. There are two vixen in this family unit, the mother and grandmother, and I can not tell them apart. The kits you see here are still suckling from their mother. But by this time in their young lives she is well on the way introducing them to game. In the beginning she will stash the game, encouraging the kits to forage for it. The next step in the process you can see here, where she brings game directly to the kits. Here she is dropping a rabbit for them. At this stage in the teaching she has killed the rabbit. The next stage will be for her to bring them live game. The little black one grabs the rabbit and makes a run for it getting away from his siblings. At a safe distance he releases the rabbit and examines it.

Notes To My Mother

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