Groundhog Crossing
Why did the groundhog cross the road? It didn’t because it saw me and ran back into a yard. Be careful of all the critters running around our roadways trying to feed their young! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreRelaxing Kit
Right after I mentioned I had been having trouble seeing and photographing any of my Red Fox kits one decided it wanted to cooperate! These were taken Tuesday afternoon. You can see a sibling behind it in the vegetation in one of the photos, but this one was sunning and cleaning itself out in the open on the den’s bank. It knows it can dart inside in a flash if needed. That red is really coming on… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreFox Kit Exploration
This is one of “my” Red Fox kits, originally six that emerged several weeks ago. It now seems that we unfortunately only have five left, and one of those five is a small individual who gets picked on too much by its siblings. This is not too much of a surprise given that the sixth seemed to have quite an infection of its eye, as its parents both did at various points. The pups are exploring much more on their own now, being more afraid of humans than they were as they grow up to realize what danger means. This is about as good a look I have gotten recently. Maybe they will be...
Read MoreRaccoon Patrol
Please keep your trash indoors or inside something! Even this yard waste in paper bags was attractive to the Raccoon (Procyon lotor) seen here as it wondered if there were any scrumptious snacks in what is sometimes a human sack of treats. Raccoons can be seen in the day if they are particularly busy looking to feed growing young, but we should never intentionally or unintentionally provide food for mammals at our homes. That is how they become problem individuals, sometimes aggressively looking at the helpful hosts to keep the meals coming. The Raccoon seen here seems healthy in appearance...
Read MoreGrowing Fox Family
As summer approaches, these little ones will be on the move more and more in order to prepare themselves for life on their own. Red fox kits typically stay with their mothers until they reach about seven months old. During that time, they will develop their hunting skills through playtime, hunting the prey brought back by mom and slowly through their own exploration outside of the safety of their dens to seek and stalk prey species close by. By fall, these young foxes will be on their own and will have to rely on their own hunting skills to get a meal. These little ones living down the...
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