Saxonville Fox Den May Update - Trail Cam Results

         I finally changed the batteries on both my trail cameras a few days ago. I also completely emptied both SD cards. I decided to place them both at the Saxonville fox den. One at the entrance that is dug into the root system of a tree, and one at a big clay mound further downstream. This post features footage from the clay mound den. 

One of the things I've been noticing is that the family is starting to surplus kill. When winter conditions kept rodents hidden and kept their population down, the pair had to hunt a lot more to survive, and they never had extra. Now that squirrels, shrews, and rabbits have started reproducing, the parents are bringing back dead rodents nonstop, and the two remaining kits simply can't eat it all. This shrew spent a couple days at the den, and became a toy. Every time a kit passed the little rodent's body, they would roll it down the hill, pounce on it, fight over it, swing it around, sniff it, and chase each other with it... 

...in this one, they are chasing each other around the tree, and one of them saves its energy by switching directions, to run into its sibling when it loops around. The running sibling gets jump-scared and jumps a few feet in the air.

I kept scrolling through the hundreds of videos of the kits playing with the kills. I knew I would eventually see and adult dropping off food after a hunting trip. I had a hard time finding one but I found a clip in the card that had an adult. The dad. I can tell it's the dad because he has an twist to the end of his tail, probably from a fight with another fox when he was a kit. This video is important because it shows the size comparison between a kit, and an adult. The two remaining kits are almost as big as their dad, but they still have a bit to go. The dad is soaking wet because their was a rainstorm that night, and the kits had been dry in the shelter of the den. The poor mom was probably out hunting as well, but I didnt get footage of her this time. The dad looks skinny, but he has actually gained weight since the winter. The reason he looks skinnier is because he and his mate have recently molted into summer coats, which are very short, and allow them to cool off easier...

                                                  

             

            

The fox den is easily my best location because the card gets filled with fox clips every time. I actually know what to expect. There is no point in leaving the camera there for more than two nights because 48 hours fills the card anyways. This set was also the first set in which one of the kits actually noticed the camera. It was lying down without its sibling, in silence, and then must have heard the high pitched tone that the camera makes when it starts a video. 

...I will update soon.