[QUOTE=jmsieglaff;549078]Thanks for sharing! Your pictures are beautiful![/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=efisakov;549087]I second that. Good going, Jen.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=NoahYates;549228]Gorgeous fox! In fact, all of your pictures are superb![/QUOTE]

Thanks so much! :D

Spud Planting & Foxes
 

It's been an exciting couple of days in my yard.

Yesterday, we planted potatoes. My box of seed potatoes has some sprouts! You can also see my onions in the upper left corner there out for a field trip. I'll be hardening them this week with the plan to plant them out next week.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Potatoes_IMG_3432.jpg[/IMG]

IT'S ALIVE!!!
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Potatoes_IMG_3438.jpg[/IMG]

I had the same situation last year, just made sure all of the sprout was under the soil and they grew just fine. I would say harvest was about identical to the year before when I used purchased seed potatoes that had not sprouted.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Potatoes_IMG_3439.jpg[/IMG]


This afternoon we saw the fox again! My husband and I had our cats out for a walk and Bella spotted the fox over in the neighbors back yard. They watched each other.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/fox_DSC6297.jpg[/IMG]

Bella has been told she looks like a fox. Perhaps the fox thought she was a threat. Wouldn't take his/her eyes off of Bella.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/fox_DSC6305.jpg[/IMG]

Then we realized that the fox has babies! They have been living under the neighbor's shed. You can see the squirrel that mama or papa brought them for dinner. Sorry if that is disturbing to anyone. I'm an animal lover myself, so I understand. For that reason, I did not post any photos of them biting on the squirrel.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/fox_DSC6334.jpg[/IMG]

We saw two kits, and were very excited about that.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/fox_DSC6355.jpg[/IMG]

Brought Bella inside and the foxes relaxed a bit. I started videoing and after awhile, a third and then a fourth baby came out from under the shed! I didn't get anymore stills, but have video of them playing. It was adorable. Now I know where they are living, I can be on the look out for them. I hope to get more stills of all 4 kits. I can see their shed from my kitchen window, so that's where I'll be looking whenever I'm washing up. I didn't want to scare them off, I was about 75 yards away with a long lens. Funny thing, the fox completely ignored us humans once Bella was back inside. My husband was urging me to get closer. They seemed comfortable with the distance I was at, so I stayed put. I think if I went swishing thru the leaves in the woods in-between our two yards, that would be too much and they would go away.

Jen

Lovely photos! :)

More Fox Pictures
 

I got a few more pictures of the fox family. This time, all 4 babies.

[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6369.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6370.jpg[/IMG]

This reminds me of a scene from lion king.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6380.jpg[/IMG]

Mama keeps a eye out.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6387.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6388.jpg[/IMG]

Dinner was a big wedge sandwich this time.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6389.jpg[/IMG]

"This is really good, you really must try it."
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6390.jpg[/IMG]

The kits play just like puppies.
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6392.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6393.jpg[/IMG]

"Mom, mom, mom, look at me, mom…."
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6400.jpg[/IMG]

She spots me! What a look!
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6401.jpg[/IMG]

Meanwhile… play, play, play...
[IMG]http://hillphoto.com/blog/Fox_DSC6407.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=ChiliPeppa;550726]Lovely photos! :)[/QUOTE]

Thank you Peppa! :)

Jen

Jen, thank you for posting those incredible fox pictures, priceless. I hope the neighbours will not have to use the shed until the kits are ready to "leave the nest". They all look well nourished. We have fox around us, but have never been close to one of their dens. They can be fairly bold with people, but the neighbours dogs make them nervous. Last year a bold black male came across the driveway while I was out watering my containers - didn't give me a bit of notice. He waltzed up the hill on the brick wall right beside me and when I asked him what he thought he was doing, he promptly peed in my flowerbed! Cheeky devil...

[QUOTE=salix;551674]Jen, thank you for posting those incredible fox pictures, priceless. I hope the neighbours will not have to use the shed until the kits are ready to "leave the nest". They all look well nourished. We have fox around us, but have never been close to one of their dens. They can be fairly bold with people, but the neighbours dogs make them nervous. Last year a bold black male came across the driveway while I was out watering my containers - didn't give me a bit of notice. He waltzed up the hill on the brick wall right beside me and when I asked him what he thought he was doing, he promptly peed in my flowerbed! Cheeky devil...[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much for your kind words. :) I've never actually seen the neighbor use the shed. He has a service take care of the lawn, and a service take care of the pool and they bring their own equipment and supplies. The neighbor has told me a couple times over the years that a fox lives under his shed. I never really believed him because I'm out in the yard quite a bit, and I thought I would have seen the fox more often than a handful of times in 11 years. We just started seeing the fox regularly a couple weeks ago. Neighbor's dog died years ago and we only have cats. So I think it is a safe place for mama fox. I think the one in the pictures is the mother as she tends the kits. The other adult, is smaller, I think, and he is more skittish and runs away. She sticks around and watches babies.

That is too funny about the male fox peeing in your flowerbed! Bold indeed!

Jen

Love these pictures, thanks for sharing them with us.

Amazing!

The foxes look cute but when they start eating your small pets they wont be.

Worth

Great pics..... We have saw one on our farm a lot lately. No little ones though....

Beautiful pictures of the fox. I love the quality of your pictures.

We had a large den of fox up in our barnyard area a few years ago. There was a mama who had a litter of four. They must have been very hungry because they were very determined to get inside of my enclosed fenced in chicken coop. I had over 50 chickens, and a number of them I had for over ten years and were my beloved pets. I woke up one morning and went out to feed them and I came across a blood bath. Feathers strewn all around , blood here and there, scratch marks dug through the dirt because they had been dragged. I found just a couple of chickens that were dazed and injured. All the rest had been killed and dragged off. It was horrible. So, while I love and appreciate the beauty of the fox, and know they need to survive also, I despise them for the devastation they can cause to farm animals.

Ginny

What a fabulous opportunity you have found. Those kits are adorable! Your pictures are fantastic. I do have a local fox and some coyotes but have never seen any babies let alone have found a den. I am always thrilled when I get a glimpse of them. I like to have them around to keep the rodent population down. The coyotes had left for 3-4 years and the rabbit population EXPLODED. They have returned this winter so hopefully we will be seeing a dent in the rabbits soon.

[QUOTE=efisakov;551894]Love these pictures, thanks for sharing them with us.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=NoahYates;551896]Amazing![/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=wildcat62;552205]Great pics..... We have saw one on our farm a lot lately. No little ones though....[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=barefootgardener;553599]Beautiful pictures of the fox. I love the quality of your pictures.
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=MissS;553767]What a fabulous opportunity you have found. Those kits are adorable! Your pictures are fantastic.[/QUOTE]

Thanks so much, all of you, really thank you. :)

Jen

Really wonderful pictures; the foxes are adorable.

Jen, I feel horrible that they destroyed your chickens. You would think animals instinct would be to take only what they needed. I would be devastated.