Part 1 showed the discovery of the den of four cute fox kits on a day in mid-May when it snowed. Part 2 featured a kit flying through the air as it ran across a field and four kits playing with a porcupine carcass. If you missed either or want to see the photos again, you can click the linked words above, and the blogs will open in a new tab so you can continue reading this one.
This blog is likely the last of the series as the kits are spending most of their time in the woods far away from the den these days. Soon they will be on their own.
On warm, sunny afternoons — we did get a few this spring — a kit might sleep in the dappled sunlight on a mount near the den.
It took me a while, but I finally realized the kits had a backdoor to the den. It was surprisingly far from the front door.
They sure are cute.
I briefly considered getting a large feather and placing it near the den because I have always admired Mary Holland’s photo of a fox carrying a feather on the cover of her book, Naturally Curious Day by Day. But I quickly dismissed that notion, not wanting to copy her.
Then one morning, when I figured the foxes were out prowling, I carefully walked up to the den. To my surprise I found the foxes had read my mind. They found and brought, not one but two, feathers to the area around the den. One was on top of the mound, the other was behind it. I left them alone.
Later that morning they were back and playing with it.
Here are some of the photos of a kit carrying the feather.
The second fox had seen enough and wanted a turn playing with the feather. Here is the tussle that ensued.
In spite of the tussle, they remained friends.
Two days later I got what might be my last photo of two of the kits.
