Monday, June 25, 2007

Foxy Lady

On Saturday night, as we were driving from my house to Kyle's condo, Kyle strayed from the usual route and entered a different neighborhood in his subdivision. I was tempted to ask where he was taking me, but I figured it was a surprise and I'd just wait to find out.

We approached a children's playground and I wondered why we were there. He pointed to an animal that was moving quite stealthily. At first glance I thought it was a dog, but a moment later I knew the big bushy tail did not belong to a normal, domesticated canine. Kyle said, "Do you see the fox? She's protecting her three babies. They're over there in that den." He pointed to a mound of dirt at the edge of the playground.

Now, this is not the first time I've seen a fox since I've been here. There are a few that roam the streets of Breckenridge. And, believe it or not, I've hand-fed a wild fox at Keystone. There is one particular fox that the Transporation Department has named Franklin. He comes to their office door, hoping for some scraps. He even ventures inside to accept granola bars or leftover bones. I was lucky enough to be there when he was by for one of his visits and he gently took a meaty bone from my fingers.

That evening, though, I could tell that this fox was no Franklin. She was a protective mother, watching over her cubs. One of Kyle's co-workers, Cathy, got close enough to photograph the little ones recently. If I can get a copy of the picture I'll try to post it. They are more adorable than you can imagine.

I was just amazed to see something so amazing, so close. Literally, their den was in people's backyard! Incredible.

2 comments:

Brian said...

Intersting timing - Erin and I saw a fox driving home from small group Wednesday night - it crossed a neighborhood street about 1/2 mile from a major interstate, 5 miles north of Baltimore. We were so shocked a fox would be in the city, but I guess this is testimony to the redevelopment efforts going on, right?

Ruth said...

Brian! Good to hear from you. Yeah, there have been reports of other wildlife in urban and suburban areas. There have been a few mountain lion sightings around here, but that's not as surprising as the fact that they have been spotted in and around neighborhoods in Boulder and the outskirts of Denver!