Vicki Fox > Guests > PEI Foxes > 1996 Journal 4Q

PEI Foxes - 1996 Journal : October to December

Oct 1

Tom's phone report. The food on the Loop Road is gone, so he left more. Both Biscuit and Blossom were waiting for him tonight, but Blossom continues to play hide and seek. Tom says she'll come out behind the car and pick and play and he can watch in the rear view mirror. However, if she catches him looking at her, she dives for the trees. If the car is facing her, she stays under the branches. Now how can she tell the front from the back I wonder? Biscuit got most of the treats, as usual. No piece de resistance tonight for them as no mice jumped into the traps in the well house today.

Oct 2

All the food at the Loop Road and the mound by the brook was gone. Tom had left food on the top of the hill and the sitting rock on the way up. coming back the food at the sitting rock still there, but the food at the top of the hill was gone. Blossom streaked across the bottom of the road as if saying "Don't look at me." No sign of Biscuit nor Blaze tonight. Tom circled around again and none of the food had been touched. It looks like the kits are taking their place in the adult world and either out hunting or dispersing.

Oct 3

Bamboo made an appearance tonight. She was fairly bold. Blossom stayed down by the bottom of the hill until Tom moved away. Both of them were quite skittish.

Oct 4

The neighboring farmer told Tom he had spotted a coyote down by the water. This could account for the skittishness of the foxes. All the food on the Loop Road, etc. from last night gone and no coyote scat, so Tom assumes foxes are getting it. Caught another mouse in the well house so Tom dropped it off on the sitting rock on his way back. Left chicken scraps at the top of the hill. On his way out, the food was gone - but no sighting of foxes. I need to be there!

Oct 5

Tom still catching mice in the well house and leaving them for the foxes. Blaze (he thinks it was Blaze) was the only fox to show up tonight, and then only briefly. Tom says the foxes are highly nervous and loath to leave the protection of the spruce trees. The fox behaviour certainly indicates coyotes are in the area. However, the spruce area has a good large den, a year-round running spring, one little open "meadow" for play, and 7 acres of good cover. If there are sufficient mice in the surrounding fields, the foxes just may have been pushed to this little oasis.

Oct 6

No view of the foxes tonight, tho by the Tom was completing the circuit, all the food from the sitting rock and the top of the hill was gone. I'll be back on the Island a week from today so we'll see if that makes any difference.

Oct 7

Tom caught 2 more mice in the well house. Left them at the top of the hill where not a single fox was waiting for the treat. He went on to the sitting rock, hutka, and sunset ridge. Coming back he saw one fox (either Bamboo or Blaze) grabbing food from the top of the hill and running into the spruce trees. A few minutes later, Blossom ran across the bottom of the lane to where Bamboo/Blaze had disappeared. Maybe she knew there were two mouse delicacies. Neither fox stopped to chat with Tom.

Oct 16

Got back on the Island late afternoon. Tom checked the well house, and sure 'nuff, there was a mouse in the trap. I wanted to tour the woods immediately, so we took the dead mouse along with us and left it at the top of the hill. Two hours later, we set out for the fox hunt. Another mouse had been caught by this time, so we took it along. The previous mouse had been picked up by someone or something. We left mouse #2 at the top of the hill, and I got out of the car and sprinkled some bits of zucchini bread and some chicken bits and kept talking and calling kit, kit. As we pulled away to the sitting rock, an absolutely gorgeous orange/red fox came to the hill top and picked up something (the mouse?) and dashed into the trees. It looked full grown but couldn't tell if it was Blaze, Bamboo or some adult. It was stunning looking. We made the circuit of the sitting rock, hutka and sunset ridge. Coming back, there was Biscuit at the hill top eating the scraps. We stopped at the sitting rock and I got out and called to her. I kept nattering away and she was really listening. Spent quite a few minutes with this acitivity. Tom said "She knows the sound of your voice." What a thrill. We backed up and she came a few steps toward us. The car got stuck so we had to rock it a few times and that sent her flying under the trees. She watched us all the way down. At the hill top I got out and nattered away some more. We drove down the side of the field and left bread pieces. As we were pulling into the back yard I suggested leaving some white bread which would show up against the green grass. Since Biscuit had come into the garden before, I hoped she would again. I had a phone call as soon as we got in the house so was distracted. Ten minutes later when I looked out, the bread was gone. There were snow patches in the shady parts of the woods. Saw no coyote scat however, which is good news. Biscuit is certainly not as friendly as she was when I left, but that's ok. It's just good to see her again. Going down to freezing tonight so glad both foxes seen had beautiful glossy coats.

Oct 17

Blossom showed up tonight. Very very skittish. The most encouragement was fresh scat had been left on the sitting rock as a "thank you" for last night's treat. Also, Tom had left a big ham bone on Sunset Ridge several days before he left for Chicago. It had never been taken. It was there Oct 16 when we left treats, but was gone tonight.

Oct 18 & 19

Tom feeding the foxes while I'm at a conference. Foxes very skittish and won't come close. He sees two each night but doesn't know which ones.

Oct 20

Back from the conference. Brad Swanson, Biologist and fox expert from Purdue visiting for a couple of days. Foxes did not cooperate. Biscuit was waiting at the edge of the field and watched the car climb the hill. She come trotting up to the curve at the bottom of the hill, disappeared into the spruce trees, and only came out after the car moved off. Made another circuit and found her at the sitting rock. We stopped and watched. She went to the top of the hill, but moved into the trees as we came closer. The foxes always seem to know when I have a "stranger" in the car. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Oct 21

Brad Swanson and I poured over the woods this morning with a fine tooth comb. New fox scat at the mound by the brook and at the ledge on the loop road. It's almost as if the adults (who fed back there leaving the top of the hill and the sitting rock to the kits) were saying "Hey, don't forget us." We have been leery of feeding back there for fear it will attract coyotes, but now, will leave food tonight. Even found fox tracks at the crossroads where the Osprey road connects to the circle road. Scott MacDonald, our local coyote expert, coming out tonite to look at all the tracks and to go on the fox hunt with us.

Well, the tracks at the brook are coyote. However fox tracks are also there. It appears that the coyote "might" have been passing through. Found old coyote scat on a lane we abandoned. At this point, it looks like coyote and fox are co-existing. However, it is duck/geese hunting season and Scott says coyotes hang around the blinds hoping to get injured or not found birds. We got a flash of a gorgeous red adult but none of the girls showed up. Scott brought a duck he found that had been killed. Left bits of it around for the foxes and then he propped up the duck skin with a stick on the hill top. It looked just like a duck sitting there. Brad and Scott assured me the foxes would have a marvelous time pouncing on it and "killing" it.

Oct 23

No sightings last night. It rained thru the night and all day today; just a steady downpour. Left chicken backs, neck, breast bone, and leg bones at various sites tonight, along with ripe pear. At the top of the hill, the sitting rock, the mound by the brook, the ledge, and sunset ridge fresh scat was left. Looked for feathers in it to see if they had taken the duck skin the other night. The scat were small tokens, but no feathers visible. Maybe a sea hawk got the duck skin. No scat at the hutka, as they are honoring my request not to "mess up" the patio stone nor the deck. Food was gone at all sites. Again no sightings tonight. The roads are so wet and greasy I almost didn't make it up the hill by the brook. When it dries I should be able to see a whole new set of prints.

Oct 24

Drizzle. Decided I was tired of begging the girls to come out. Had good bones from a roast with some meat still on them. Drove back and left good meaty bones at ALL the feeding sites EXCEPT the top of the hill and the sitting rock. We'll see what this does.

Oct 25

Biscuit waiting for me when I drove up tonight. Stopped the car at the top of the hill in my usual place. As I stepped out, just millimeters from my foot was a large, loose, pile of scat. The little minxes; that'll teach me to skip their favorite feeding spot. Blossom was at the bottom of the lane just watching. Biscuit let me take lots and lots of video of her. Unfortunately, I did something stupid (what I don't know) after the first 5 seconds so that is all I got. At least it shows her face, profile and rear in her gorgeous winter coat. Food at all the other sites gone, and fresh scat left on sunset ridge. Three areas of fresh scat between the mound at the brook and the end of the loop road. Definitely fox scat; twisted ends, and small.

Oct 26

Fresh scat on the sitting rock (hard to find a place to leave food on it), fresh scat at sunset ridge, the mound by the brook, and fresh scat (filled with berries) at the bottom of the loop road covering the rabbit fur scat and tiny scat (all pooped out?) on the ledge on the loop road. Took a drive back this morning and as I was looking for prints on the loop road heard noise in the brush. I stopped, wondering if it was a fox, or a bird, or shudder, a coyote. After a few seconds there was a distinct fox bark about 10 yeards into the brush just beyond the old natal den. I stayed quiet, and soon some crashing in the brush and another bark. Never got a view, however. Found 5 new coyote tracks in the lane by the brook. They were roundish and had very distinct two-front-claw marks. However, three fox prints were diagonal to them. Both sets of prints were heading toward the back fields. On the lane just before the bottom of the loop road found one fresh coyote print heading toward the brook. Some one or two day old fox scat about 12" away. It just could be this is edge territory for both. Anyway, the bottom quarter of the loop road is well marked with fox scat now. The lane along the log den has new fox scat on it. Subdivision must be underway.

Oct 27

Told the "girls" it was my last day on the Island and I wouldn't see them until spring. No show. I left tid bits at the top of the hill, sitting rock and went back for the circuit. By the time I came out, all the bits at the top of the hill were gone. I left more, backed the car up and waited. Still no show. Left bread along the side of the field and as I was coming home via the "ditch" I saw a flash of red at the top of the hill. Whether it was a fox or the neighbor's cat I couldn't tell. Fresh scat in the ditch however. This is my good bye for the year. Hope next year's litter has a Banjo junior in it.