Almost two weeks ago I published a Blog about a fox den I discovered. That blog featured photos of all four kits who occupy the den and a tussle between two of them. But generally the kits seem to get along well together.
The kits seemed to spend a lot of time out of the den exploring the nearby woods. When they were near the den they would often sit, sunbath, sleep, or play on a mound near the den. But there were times when they were neither in the woods nor on the mound but instead exploring the more open areas around the den.
They loved to prance around.
Sometimes they would sit relaxed, sometimes they would play hide-and-seek in the weeds, and sometimes they would strike attentive poses.
I managed to capture a long sequence of a kit running. Its feet seemed to barely touch the ground.
Since finding the den I have only seen a parent once. It was running across an open area and quickly disappeared in the woods away from the den.
One of the kits or a parent brought the remains of a porcupine to the den area. Not exactly a child-safe toy. But when they got stuck, they seemed to be able to shed the quills.
In the photo below the kit in front is working on the porcupine carcass.
Here are some of the photos I took of the kits eating and playing with the porcupine carcass.
The kits sure know how to look cute.
What would spring in New Hampshire be if there were not black flies? If you look carefully at the photo below you might be able to spot a swarm of them.
At one point, when the kits were away from the den, a Black-capped Chickadee moved in to gather fox fur for its nest. Mary Holland was with me at the time and published a photo she took of this wonderful moment in nature in her Memorial Day Blog.
Here are some of the other photos I took during the first week after finding the den.
