New Neighbors

We have some new neighbors!  A family of foxes have moved in “next door” in the wooded area off our backyard. 

There are two adults and two pups, from what I’ve seen.  This was Momma Fox expressing her displeasure with Elaina’s and my being in the part of the yard that’s near the den.  It’s not even that near—this was taken at 12x zoom.  She’s a very protective parent.  Don’t worry, Grandma—I’m protective too.  I had my arm wrapped around Elaina as I took this, just to make sure she wasn’t going in for a closer look.  (This is why I only have one clear shot.)  She’s pretty careful of this kind of stuff though—not overly scared, but cautious. 

The foxes have been a lot of fun.  We see them several times a week, usually in the morning.  The pups are really cute.  I get barked at an awful lot for being where I’m not supposed to be.  “Where I’m not supposed to be” seems to include everything on “their half” of the yard. 

I don’t have video of our neighbor foxes, but just so you can get an idea of what I’m talking about, take a look at the following video.  This looks about the right age and size for our foxes and the bark is the same, only with ours, it’s clear that it’s directed my way.