Fox(es) return

[altivo]

I mentioned last week that we had heard a fox barking and yawping nearby one night. Then after Friday's heavy snow we could see a lot of unidentifiable footprints running in and out of an old logpile and a hole under one corner of our arena. Now I have even better evidence that at least one adult fox is around. Saturday it was warm enough to partially melt and compact the snow. Then it refroze to a crusty consistency overnight. Sure enough, Sunday afternoon in the bright sun I could make out faint fairy impressions of medium size canine type footprints running through the pasture and parallel to some of the messier tracks from Friday night.

The snow wasn't firm enough to hold up a dog, which was proved when I saw the neighbors' dogs running around over the same snow. They broke through and left deep holes. The fox is lightfooted enough to run over the top of the snow, leaving faint prints of pawpads and puncture marks occasionally where just the claws pierced the surface. In a few spots I thought I could make out a smaller set of prints running right along with the larger, so perhaps there is a kit again this year. We're just waiting for visual confirmation (or dead chickens) to verify it now.

This time the snow is melting slowly enough that the water drains off or sinks into the ground, so we aren't getting the unpleasant flooding we had after the last two storms. With any luck, this was winter's last blast, but it's hard to be sure of that.

Comments

Sounds of life

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

I've never heard a fox noise... do they kind of yip? *kicks dirt trying to find bettter description* I've heard coyotes, but that's different... or so I assume. Please give clarification to my confusion *blinks wideeyed*

Re: Sounds of life

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Here are some sound samples.

A fox can sound like an excited little dog, but more often they sound like rather unhappy cats to me.

Re: Sounds of life

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

*winces & folds ears* Eeeh... much louder than I expected, and some were very high pitched. The kits bark, I guess... it's hard to give a fitting term to the sounds the adults make... Thanks. I geuss I have heard them before... and thought they were some kind of bird ;P

Re: Sounds of life

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yep. I think I've mistaken them for bluejays, for instance. Or angry geese. But often you hear them just after dark, when the birds should be silent.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

One of the sounds adult foxes make is actually the origin of the term "yiff", if memory serves. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

So it is claimed, but I've not heard them make any sound like that. Maybe something more like "yeeeeeef" but it sounds like a cry of anger or anguish. ;p

Sounds in the key of "irk"

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

I knew someone was going there ;)

I must confess some they make almost sound like human noises... meaning, I can't say I find them very pleasent :/

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Ingenious detective work. And awwwwww, fossie and baby fossie!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe a baby. We haven't seen any foxes yet. Just heard, smelled, and tracked them.

padding...

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

So now your resume can include "hacker" & "part time animal detective" XD

Re: padding...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It already did. ;p

Re: padding...

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

*smirks and folds arms* Okay, you won this one. *gives you a feather I found*

Re: padding...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*tickles your ear with the feather*

Re: padding...

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

*snorts, then lowers head* You can put it in my hair if you'd like, but not any orifice ;/

Re: padding...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*braids it into your mane*

Re: padding...

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

*leans up against you* I had intended it to be your trophy, but it seems you have other ideas *closes eyes and grins* Heh, you're my first... to braid my hair :P *giggles & leans in more*

[saythename.livejournal.com]

*he pads into your barn and looks up at the hosses. One of them
wakes up and peers down at him*

"You better leave, that Gary guy will be angry if your in the
barn when he comes in"

*he runs out, yawping and dives into the snow and gets a huge
rat that was living in the barn. With the rat in his jaws
he pads off to his den to feed the kits*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*wrinkles his nose when he comes into the barn*

"Tess, was that fox in here again?"

"Yeah, I told him he oughta leave."

"As long as he leaves the sheep alone, I don't care. But I wish he'd bathe more often. Phew."

[saythename.livejournal.com]

*Tess makes a pawing motion with a hoof an Altivo turns
to look at her*

"At least he got rid of that rat, it was a nasty little
beast, nipping us, we couldn't get it stamped out"

Altivo looked down at Tess's hoof, she seemed happy
enough about the rat being bested.

"He'd torment us! Tell us you'd never catch him, and
then he'd bite at us! We'd be up all night stomping
at it!"

Altivo petted Tess on the flank.

"Its gone now, hopefully the fox will be content
with giving the rat its comeuppance"

Tess wasn't so sure but didn't seem unhappy at the
distant "yawp!" and Altivo went to get the bucket
to water her and the other hosses.

[saythename.livejournal.com]

Alright, I don't think this will turn into a huge roleplay, so
this is how it'd end;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qthL4leF7es

*doesn't think Altivo has time for the usual huge verbose
story line rp thing*

^.~