Fox again

[altivo]

Well, it hasn't snowed yet. It was in the 50s today, but they're still saying it may snow tomorrow or tomorrow night.

We saw several rose breasted grosbeaks today, and I spotted a white throated sparrow on the feeder (I've been hearing them for weeks, but hadn't seen one.)

At dusk, Gary went out to close the cover on the hot frame and saw the vixen and one of her kits in our lane near the old woodpile. That's full of tunnels and hiding places, so no surprise, and in fact I've smelled her there a couple of times this week. It's good to know she's still around. Hopefully, the other kit is still there somewhere as well.

Chained to the loom, gotta finish what's on there tonight or tomorrow at the latest, so... back to work.

Comments

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Is it a loom with a view? I think I've made that joke several times. Aww Foxes in the wood pile :D

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you've used that one at least twice before.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I always was predictable and consistant ;)

[saythename.livejournal.com]

Foxes is good at hiderin!

Except for the smell of course.

Loom away sir!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, and where he saw the foxes is right where I smelled them the last couple of days. ;p

[saythename.livejournal.com]

*the vixen comes out in the gloom, no moon
this night, very wet. All the better, the
creatures she'll hunt will be out of their
holes and dens and hutches. She pauses to
sniff and theres the stinky smell of the
humans, how can they stand that stench? It
lingers so long...no matter. With a look
back at the sleeping kits she pads, with
tounge out, towards the place where she
got a chicken before. The humans make
diffenent noises their, and they aren't
very smart. Not like the dog on the other
side, he got the point (and swore at her
in a vauge dialect that all canids share).

Chicken for dinner? Or Vole? Or Rat?

Hmm...Rat...

She gets into the barn in a way only she
knows about and the boys snort. Tess
peers at her. "You better get your tail
out of here!"

Tess isn't amused by vixen's, but the
vixen dashes off and shows up in the dark
with a wiggling screaming rat and the
rat dies with a shake of the vixen's
head.

Tess, not exactly impressed is
happy the rat is now someone elses problem.

With a shake of a floofy tail the vixen
takes dinner home.*

Or something like that. ^.~

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, something like that anyway. Actually, we have two barns, or a barn and an arena. The boys' stalls are in the little barn along with the rabbit cages, while Tess has hers in the arena with the sheep in a pen on the far side from her. I don't think the fox has been in the little barn, which is too bad in a way because it has plenty of mouse activity.

We haven't seen a rat around for several years, thank goodness. The fox does, as you suggest, have tunnels that would get her from outside right into the arena (dirt floors) even when all the doors are shut. She might find mice in there, because there's a lot of hay stored on one side. There have occasionally been woodchucks or possums in there too. She's more than welcome to hunt in there as long as she doesn't burrow into the hay. I'll remind Tess of that. ;p