I had quite a surprise when I came home a couple of days ago, after running a few errands. Three young Foxes were playing near the drainage ditch in the front of our house. When they saw my car coming they ran into the ditch. I went inside, grabbed my camera and patiently waited hoping they would appear again.
This is only the fourth sighting of foxes near our house in 24 years. To say I was thrilled is an understatement.
Not the sharpest pictures because they were still too far away and I cropped.
The braver of the three would come out first, and the other two would follow a couple of minutes later.
I wondered if they actually lived down in the ditch as they were scrawny and unkempt. It seemed to me that they were waiting for someone, their mother perhaps. Later I saw one of the siblings in the back garden, and I followed to see what he was up to.
He waited and then ran off....
and eventually joined his siblings.
After one of those kind of days where it was very frustrating in part, this ended on a good note, it was a gift. Funny how that happens isn't it?
I wish I could transplant them to nicer accommodations, but hopefully their mother returned and took them to a less built up area. You can bet I'll be checking to see if they are still around tomorrow. I expect their mother told them to stay down in the ditch out of sight but you know, cubs being cubs, they get bored and need to work off some energy.
Added note: since writing this post I have seen them several times. Their den is definitely in the ditch. I went out to get the mail today and there were two of them playing. One of my neighbors had also stopped her car to get out to take photos. We had a nice chat about them, both very concerned for their welfare. It is dark now and looking through the window I see them playing on the front grass. I wonder how long they will stay? I know nothing of the habits of foxes.
It is time to link with Eileen and Misty for Good Saturday's Critters and Camera Critters. Thank you for hosting ladies. To visit other participants you can click on the names below.
What a delightful post, Denise! The foxes are adorable! I would be thrilled as well to have these visitors! :) Thank you so much for sharing, your photos are lovely!
ReplyDeletehope they stay safe!
ReplyDeleteThey are adorable!! And your pictures are good! All your waiting was worth it. Poor kits, living in a drainage ditch. Do you think they even have a mother? But if they look healthy (and they do) she must be around. But you would think she would be looking out for them. Maybe they are big enough that she kicked them out!
ReplyDeleteCute! Hope, their mother is still alive.
ReplyDeleteWe have a fox hole here too, between my an neighbors garden. I found it, as I cutted off the hedge, but I put the brushwood back to this place.
Have a nice weekend
They do look like they need a good meal. How neat to see those cute foxes. I've never seen so many at once.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have seen these 3 cubs and so near you home. I do hope they will be safe the the nother come back for them. Lovely shots of them all. I hope you have a wonderuful weekend.
ReplyDeleteo the poor foxes. I hope they will found a better place to live. I love little foxes
ReplyDeletebest
susa
Foxes are very cute aren't they? And smart. And family minded. I hope these stay safe.
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely to see cubs, we get them at the bottom of the garden, but they actually have dens in a nearby copse. I would worry about them if I saw them near to roads.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely Denise, yes they do look in poor condition really. Keep an eye out for mum. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI think these foxes are doing fine. Don't worry to much, it is natue! Groetjes Hetty
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing opportunity to watch a fox family in action and get these fantastic photos! I hope the little family will be OK.
ReplyDeleteA lovely post Denise, and a very good selection of photo's.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
I don't know anything at all about the habits of foxes, but it sure seems strange that they would take up housing in a drain ditch..it doesn't seem safe at all to me, but something has run them out of the woods or wherever they came from. They do looks scrawny, but I think every fox I have ever seen looks like this.
ReplyDeleteWow, glad I checked this out. You ar on a roll! Good work!
ReplyDeleteHello Denise, it is a nice surprise to see these fox kits. I hope they stay safe, so close to the road. Adorable series of photos. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteso forlorn that one
ReplyDeleteBrilliant pictures Denise. How lucky to have those foxes living right next to you. I know foxes get a bad press but I rather admire their style and persistence.
ReplyDeletei hope there mother is ok. i think i might just die of joy to see these guys in real life, i am hyperventilating just looking at them in your photos. they are awesome and so precious. hope they stay safe. i saw a sight this morning that made me happy but no camera.. traffic had to stop for 2 juveile mallard ducks. they took their own sweet time and i was so happy other people would stop and wait for them to cross
ReplyDeleteThose fox cubs look so cute and adorable. Imagine living in the ditch, though.
ReplyDeleteYou got some nice shots of them. I hope they are alright. I love seeing that little face in your first picture!
ReplyDeleteHopefully they'll be okay.
ReplyDeleteWhat big ears they have, they are so cute and look like they still have some growing to do but I do wonder if their Mum is still around? Good luck to them all!
ReplyDeleteWren x
Denise, I am thrilled that you are thrilled to find these foxes. So many people are afraid of wild creatures in their neighbourhood and want nothing so much as to have them removed. Kudos to you. Bravo! And thanks for sharing this delightful encounter with all of us. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteWonderful captures! They are such beautiful creatures. Enjoy them while they are around. Hopefully they will move further away from the road once they learn to hunt on their own. Have a wonder-filled week!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gift indeed, Denise! Loved their cute faces! They really would be safer elsewhere so I hope their mother can lead them to a safer place.
ReplyDeleteDon't be surprised if you hear the mother screaming in the night. Every time we've had kits born in a den close to us, she brings them to the field next to our bedroom window and screams if she wants them to come to her in the night. It is a sound like a child screaming - surely wakes you up in a cold sweat! Your kits are darling. In the mountains, we see foxes crossing our property daily. When we had a city house, they often denned in the drainage culverts.
ReplyDeleteHello, Denise,
ReplyDeleteThe little foxes are so adorable!I liked to see your photos. I hope they are safe and get enough food.
Oh, they are cute! Love the shot of the one peeping out!
ReplyDeleteAwww how wonderful this pictures are. I enjoyed looking in this cute little faces you catched so nice with your camera. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Marion
ReplyDeleteAmazing!
ReplyDeleteI saw a fox in the neighbor's yard (I'm at my sister's in Ashburn). Unfortunately, Mr. or Mrs. fox was too far away for the G15 to even get a grainy pic.
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well that is quite a thing to experience. they are adorable as can be. Thank you for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteLindos e começam a aparecer já nas cidades à procura de comida fácil.
ReplyDeleteUm abraço e bom Domingo.
They're adorable! I hope they'll stay safe.
ReplyDeleteWow! very cute cubs.
ReplyDeleteThey are so cute. I haven't seen them in the wild yet.
ReplyDeleteThey are cute, but not sure I'd want them hanging around my yard. They might eat my "friends."
ReplyDeleteThey are cute. My mom had a fox that raised kits in her pasture for quite a few years. I think she must have not made it through our rough winter a couple of years ago. They are fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteThey will take off eventually! I like that, 'a gift', I have days like that.
ReplyDeletethey are both scrawny and adorable....thrilling and a little scary!!! i wonder how they ended up there??
ReplyDelete