A Pair of Kit Foxes

The Red Fox is one of the prettiest animals that I have spent time watching while on WaltAbout. But don’t be beguiled by their beauty and sometimes overly friendly demeanor. Although they will exhibit many of the characteristics of their cousins the domesticated dog they are not and should not be treated like they are for both the animals and humans well-being. Fox can be unbelievably loud and ferocious sounding as they bark, howl, growl and shriek while communicating with one another. The first time I heard fox vocalizing like this I thought it was a dog fight. They also communicate by what is called gekkering which is guttural chattering with barks and howls mixed in at times. Foxes will also make a coughing sound, which fox parents use to alarm their kits if they sense danger. 

Red fox kits are well cared for by their parents as they protect and teach them the skills to survive on their own. They are considered one of the most adaptable fox species in the world. The kits mature quickly under the adults tutelage and are deemed adults in just a year. My second season on WaltAbout while at Mount Evans was when I found a fox den and it truly is a time I will cherish the rest of my life. Seeing the kits playing and at the same time learning and honing those lessons that their adults and siblings have taught them while they are part of the family skulk is short lived however and they will take on a solitary life.

Foxes are generally solitary animals. They do not form packs like their wolf cousins but will live alone except during the reproduction and rearing of the kits. Fox are more inclined to approach humans than other animals (except for prey they are hunting) including other foxes. I was sitting at a picnic table at the campground I was staying at when the fox first introduced itself to me at Mount Evans. This was my second night in camp and I was bushed, as the sun was going down I watched it a very pretty sight. Well I turned around to head back to my site and their was the fox about 5 feet from me just sitting and looking at me. I would like to think that my favorable predictably factor was the reason for the fox being there but more than likely it was trying to work me for some free grub. It was late in season and scrounging around for easy meals from campers, hikers and trash cans is a buffet for these omnivores.

My second season at Mount Evans was when I got to meet the adult fox in early May and the rest of the skulk a week later. I was working and living at the Echo Lake Lodge and every chance I had I would be biking or hiking in the area with my camera in hand while on WaltAbout. The adult would often scavenge around the lodge throughout the day in the hopes of raiding a trash can or a visitor feeding it intentionally or unintentionally. The fox and I saw one another a lot because all I had to do was step out the door and I was on a small island of human habitat in a sea of forest. I think my predictability factor did come into play as the fox watched me while I was working as the Rocky Mountain Dishwasher, doing my WaltAbout or just sharing the forest with the wildlife. I went about at what I was doing at my normal pace and demeanor and the fox simply went about its business as I went about mine. Eventually I came upon the den and found the kits and when I did I stopped dead in my tracks. They were just starting to roam out of the den and very cautious. I started taking pictures and happened to turn around and who do I see but the adult I had now seen for two seasons behind me laying beside a tree. I was positioned directly between the adult and the kits! The fox made no attempt to move at all and the sequence of adult shots above where of the adult yawning and going to sleep while I was there. I had a few of these opportunities to see the skulk, it was amazing to see how quick the kits grew and developed the skills they needed to survive on their own.