A male fox visited this morning. I was making toast when I saw him approach the deck from the forest. He was a handsome red with a bushy tail. Sometimes, the foxes jump onto the deck and peer into the windows to see what's happening inside. Today, he was too busy. I watched him run swiftly across snow banks, glancing over his shoulder. Suddenly, a smaller female joined him. This time of winter is peak mating season for foxes, so although they usually hunt and travel alone, sometimes I catch a glimpse of a mating pair. After a gestation of 53 days, kits are born. Sometimes the mothers raise their young in dens near us and bring the babies to visit. We never feed the foxes, but generations of them are so accustomed to us that they will approach if we allow it. Normally, we clap our hands and shoo them away. I don't want a fox approaching a grandchild having a snack outside. They are wild, smart, playful creatures with whom we share the natural world.
