…and a tracking mystery
(Part 2 of 2. Read part 1 here.)
“Old on an old hill alone
walking bent at the edge of the woods
of old bent oak and hawthorn
steam from the mossy branches
as the low sun hits
I only ever walk single steps
thousands and thousands of them
one after the other
each one their own separate thing
looking down
long strands of web drift and wrap
around me, a tiny spider in my beard
I want to starfish on the mown meadow grass
have the birds and and multitudes of insects
take me away cocooned in silk
to the cold cloudless heartless sky
before the bone-white winter
begins for all
the end for some
I am oak and strong
but wood becomes mud
and I’m the flow in this shadeless cold meadow
the death of an old fox will leave the territory free
for a hungry cub
this fox can see into the future”
~ Marc Hammer in How to Catch a Mole
This isn’t a “pretty pictures” post. The primary purpose of this post is to show you the kind of work that goes into getting good wildlife photos even before I pick up my camera. It’s a good example of my typical process when I am working locally. Even when I travel to distant places and hire a guide because I can’t put in the dirt time required to track wildlife in that unfamiliar area, this work has been done by someone, and I think it’s worth understanding.
As I said before, since I have reason to believe the fox who has been living in my favorite patch of woods and using the system of dens there might be gone, I’m particularly interested to see if the dens will be used this year and by whom. There are several, all within my old fox friend’s range.
For what felt like a long time, there was no sign of activity at any of the dens. About two weeks ago, I noticed that a few flies were congregating around one of the den openings and going down into the den. That’s often a sign that there are meat scraps down there, which means someone is bringing prey back to the den and eating or caching it there. There were only a few flies, though, so I just made a mental note to check that den again later. I have done so, and the signs have become more and more intriguing. The den in question is marked “suspected fox den 2020” on the map above and appears in the featured photo on this post. The large pile of dirt surrounds the main entrance. There are two smaller entrances in a straight line diagonally to the right of the main entrance. What follows are tracking notes from the last several days.
April 22
The 2018 den sites are growing over, making it even less likely that they’re being used this year.
There is a dead fish outside the den that had flies going down into it last week…head chewed off. Pretty big. Possibly already dead and just scavenged? Fur scraps also outside den. Raccoon could have scavenged the fish…but raccoons don’t den in the ground. They use tree cavities.
The only species I can think of that would use a den like this are groundhogs and foxes, and groundhogs don’t eat much meat beyond insects and worms. Seems hopeful for foxes!!
April 23
Bird wing found outside suspected den…can’t identify. Birds are not foxes’ preferred prey (no, not even domestic fowl!) in most areas, but I do find evidence of bird predation pretty frequently in the spring when foxes have kits to feed. Last year I even found evidence that they’d preyed on a red-shouldered hawk! It occurs to me that coyotes also use dens similar to the one in question. I should include coyotes on my list of possibilities. Also, if coyotes have moved into the area, that might answer the question of what happened to “my” fox. Coyotes kill foxes as competition.
April 24
Heavy rain last night and lots of mud today. One track outside the suspected den, and it’s full of fur marks, which is diagnostic for fox. Most definitive sign so far! I generally don’t see tracks near these dens, I think because the clay is so firm. Even my hiking boot didn’t make a clear print today…just a dent. Also some scratch marks I didn’t know what to make of and a tiny pile of scat. Could it be baby fox scat?
Scratch marks and possible track near bottom right (both circled.) Toyota key for scale.
The track in the mud. Can you see the hair prints within it? That might be a second track above it, not sure.
April 25
Mallard wing outside suspected den and trail of feathers leading down into the den. Also the fur of some mammal…possibly fox squirrel or young raccoon? The newspaper is notable because I happen to know that the foxes I’ve been observing in these woods for years steal newspapers.
April 28
No fox activity or sign. Autumn olive blossoms fallen all over entrance to 2017/19 den and undisturbed.
May 1
Small skull found outside suspected den…I’m thinking young raccoon. I’ve spared you photos of most of the prey remains, but can you handle a skull picked clean? It’s interesting. The straight canine tooth is what makes me think raccoon. Also a possible fox track overlaid by a deer track. There is a herd of whitetail deer in these woods, and they tend to trample most other tracks. Just wish I would find something more definitive…
May 2
No new tracks or sign
And that was the last day I visited the potential den. I’m planning to go again this afternoon. In 2017 my first fox kit sighting was on April 22. In 2018 and 2019 it was May 2. So, I’m really hoping whoever lives in this den will show themselves soon! I’ll keep you posted…
