Red foxes are starting to pair up

While scouting for wildlife to photograph, I saw a Red fox on the top of a large straw stack in the Hamer area. I quickly turned my truck around to get as close to it as possible as the fox slid down the stack. After about 15 minutes of waiting, I saw a fox come out of a space between two bales, followed by a second fox.

The two started chasing each other from one stack to another, disregarding me. At the end of two chases, a fight broke out. One was on top of a single bale and included the foxes showing their teeth and boxing with their paws. The second one was on the ground when one grabbed the other’s hind leg, creating a “fox-dog” of snow, with the two red bodies creating a blur surrounded by flying snow.

They hunted together in the weeds and across the fields, often returning to the straw stack, climbing on top of it or inspecting all the crevasses between the bales. I watched them for about three hours, and when a pack of coyotes began howling about half a mile away, they disappeared into the stack. I waited another hour before leaving as they did not come out.

January and February are when foxes start breeding, as they have a 52-day gestation period. The female, called a vixen, will build several dens during this time in preparation for having from one to 11 kits, and then she will choose one of the dens to raise her kids. The male fox will hunt and store food for the vixen and the kits. I will try to keep track of the pair I have seen several times; hopefully, I will locate the den where the kits will be raised.

The males usually control an area of two to four square miles from other males. Some couples will mate for life, while other males will have two or three females living in their territory. Both parents help raise the kits; if the family is large, the kits will be split into two or more dens as they grow.

The Red foxes are omnivores; they will virtually eat anything edible. Small birds and rodents are their preferred foods, but they eat carrion, fruit, eggs, human garbage, snakes and frogs. They have keen eyesight, smell and hearing. They can hear a mouse squeak a hundred yards away, and they love to eat eggs when they find a bird nest. They will often bury food to save later when needed.

Their brain has a special direction recorder, much like a GPS. It can record distance and direction to help it find its caches and territory. A male will mark its area by urinating on plants and objects around its perimeter.

They are the most widely distributed predators in the world. The life span of a Red fox is only about four to six years, with most of the deaths occurring within a few months of their birth. Coyotes, wolves, eagles, hawks and humans prey on these beautiful animals. Humans are responsible for most of their deaths through hunting, trapping and traffic.

I have enjoyed watching pairs of red fox hunting and playing when I found them. A den of kits can be very entertaining when playing and resting in their den.

Remember, this weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count, and next Saturday afternoon is the “Come to Roost at Camas.” Last week, I stopped at Camas NWR and only saw six mature eagles come into the large cottonwoods, but with the cold weather this weekend, the numbers may grow. I plan to be there next Saturday (Feb. 23). Ririe Reservoir will likely lose its ice next week and be open for fishing from boats. I will keep you informed.

Have a great and safe week.

Want to send Bill a comment or question about living the wildlife? Email him: bschiessphoto@gmail.com