It was an extremely long day to say the least. After finally getting settled at home, I am beyond ready to hit the hay, ready for the next adventure tomorrow.
I couldn’t wait to share one out of hundreds of photos I snapped this evening.
After spending roughly 6 hours at a den this morning with local photographer Gary Manning, we didn’t have any success.
Approximately 30 hours have been tallied so far this week, with minimal luck. While it’s still quite early in the year, it’s still promising to see so many family fox dens popping up across the valley.
I snuck by a different den this evening and to my surprise, the mother was nursing her litter of 5 kits in a nearby field, yes 5 little ones!
It was precious to see the mother nursing and the little ones enjoying some outdoor time, giving mom the run around.
On average, most foxes tend to have litters of 5, spending most of their first week in their den as kits eyes don’t fully open for two weeks.
It’s still early in spring and most litters are still quite young, they haven’t gotten their fur and colours and are still strictly relying on their mother for nursing until ready for a more tasteful diet.
Roughly 75% of foxes die in their first year, and thereafter mortality is approximately 50% in each adult year.
You won’t be surprised to notice a den with a family of kits close to residential property, farms and other areas that are close to food or away from predators.
Adrian J.
