chapter 395

8/9/2015

Red Fox

foxy lady

An early morning followup kayak trip to see the Peregrine Falcon again led to this chance encounter with a Red Fox family. Showing perhaps too many photos but I'll never get this close again. Just cruising the Mohawk shoreline when all of sudden spotted one pup at river's edge getting a drink.

As I slowly approached the young, it trotted off and I'm thinking it's gone forever. However, it stopped and watched me.

Surprisingly it came back toward me. Later I figured out I was near the den so he didn't want to get far from security.

He was hiding behind bushes perhaps in his young mind thinking I couldn't see him.

He hid behind some driftwood peaking out with his occasional curiosity then stalking and hunting on the beach. He's just 12 feet off the bow of my kayak now as I drifted into shore. I was thinking I could paddle faster than he could swim if for some reason he felt threatened to attack.

Watching the first guy scamper up the steep stream bank disappearing within 15 feet then reappearing at another spot. All of sudden another fox appears out of nowhere right next to me with a bird in his mouth.

Watching the first guy up the hill when there is quite a racket. A third fox is fighting the second one and I hear a yelp. The big brother (or mother) took bird away from smaller. You can see him try to defend the bird in his paws here. Stayed there a half hour and took many pictures. Eventually they all just melted away out of sight not seeing them leave. Think the den was right there behind the leaves, under the tree roots or another hole on the hillside.

All this is just one mile downstream of the Schenectady Yacht Club. Two miles to the Peregrine Falcon. When you ask anyone if they've seen a Peregrine or Fox, nobody knows nothing. Have gone back numerous times and not seen my favorite animals again, and may never see them again. Found and photographed some new Bald Eagles though.

Remember, this is all due to the Hawk visiting me. Hawk spirit.

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