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When you live in Maine, you never know what you might see — even in your own backyard.
That was the case recently for Bangor Daily News Outdoors contributor Christi Holmes, who experienced a first at her home in Gray.
Holmes, an avid hunter, angler and outdoorswoman, spends plenty of time enjoying the flora and fauna available in the state. But never had she seen a family of foxes denning in her yard.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a fox in the neighborhood,” Holmes said. “I can see them from the kitchen, but they are about 100 yards away, denning under an abandoned shed.”
Holmes first noticed them on April 10 and she has watched them growing, practically right in front of her eyes. She has captured numerous images using a Nikon P1000 digital camera and videos by holding an iPhone up to her Swarovski ATX85 spotting scope, along with some trail camera footage.
Two young foxes entertain themselves playing with a gray squirrel carcass in a southern Maine backyard. Credit: Courtesy of Christi Holmes
Today’s video segment features the two kits frolicking with a dead gray squirrel they had been provided by the adult fox.
Holmes has enjoyed seeing what is going on with the fox family, which includes one adult and two kits.
“I assume the adult fox is a vixen [female], but I am not 100 percent sure,” Holmes said, “and I read that sometimes the dad will care for the pups. But usually one parent is out hunting while one is with the pups.”
The parent appears to be providing plenty of food for the kits. Holmes has seen the adult bring a gray squirrel, small birds and one larger bird, possibly a duck, to the den.
“I’ve never seen two adult foxes at the same time,” she said.
Our great appreciation to Christi for sharing these great images with BDN readers, who seemingly can’t get enough of wildlife videos.
