Foxes and marmots and geese, oh my!
Neighbor across the road reported a fox sighting to us and asked if we had seen the "neighborhood fox" yet this year. Had to admit we haven't actually had a visual confirmation, but I found two dead meadow voles stashed outside the burrow under the far corner of the arena this morning, we've seen footprints in the snow, and heard fox sounds outside after dark. Checked our regional wildlife guide and it says this is about the right time for kits to be born, which would fit with last year's observations of the young female that we ultimately had to cut loose from where she got entangled in our fence. That happened in mid-June, which is about right. Evidently at least one of the foxes is still here, so we'll redouble our observation attempts.
Gary saw a very large, perhaps pregnant, woodchuck out at the head of the creek in the pasture, too. There's a burrow there that has been used by foxes in the past but they are noted for using dens originally dug out by woodchucks here. I don't mind woodchucks, and the babies are cute. But they may end up as fox dinners. I can't dispute the fox over that, because if they don't get eaten, they will in turn be eating my vegetable garden as soon as things start coming up.
At the library we may have a pair of nesting Canada geese. They've been hanging around one slightly raised area near the building, at the edge of a large wildflower planting. Our expert birdwatcher on staff is retiring this week, but plans to still help out with the flower beds so she'll probably scope out the possible nest and let us know what's up with that.
Gary saw a very large, perhaps pregnant, woodchuck out at the head of the creek in the pasture, too. There's a burrow there that has been used by foxes in the past but they are noted for using dens originally dug out by woodchucks here. I don't mind woodchucks, and the babies are cute. But they may end up as fox dinners. I can't dispute the fox over that, because if they don't get eaten, they will in turn be eating my vegetable garden as soon as things start coming up.
At the library we may have a pair of nesting Canada geese. They've been hanging around one slightly raised area near the building, at the edge of a large wildflower planting. Our expert birdwatcher on staff is retiring this week, but plans to still help out with the flower beds so she'll probably scope out the possible nest and let us know what's up with that.