A funny thing happened yesterday. I was heading out to take some photos of a patch of bugle weed that is in bloom. I had my camera backpack on and I was carrying a small tabletop sized tripod. And as I walked out on the deck in front of the kitchen a baby fox came walking past me on the upper driveway. When I closed the door, he noticed me and stopped and turned. What a strange moment. Now Camera Girl loves to see the baby foxes when they’re denning in the swamp so I wanted to get a photo for her so I desperately tried to get my camera out of the pack and in hand but the little fox trotted toward the shed and disappeared before I could free the camera. I followed him behind the shed and looked down into the woods and pond but he was gone.
Camera Girl was out shopping. When she got home, I told her about it and she was very excited. She always enjoys when any foxes show up on the property but especially when pups (kits?) are around. So, she was thrilled when a little while later it returned on the driveway. And she went and got a bunch of chicken scraps and started feeding it. I told her to be careful and keep her distance. A fox walking around in the open in the daytime is a questionable occurrence. They say that rabid animals tend to show up during the day so I cautioned her. Well, before you know it, she’d fed the creature and then she put out a small bowl of milk and at that point I’m afraid maybe it’s moving in with us.
I went out with my camera and saw him ducking in and out of a space under the shed. I got a few not-so-great photos and watched him for a while. He was young and he didn’t look that strong. I tried to imagine how a kit that young would be on its own. I wondered if the den was under the shed but I never saw any sign of the parents or den-mates. Could his parents have been killed? It didn’t seem likely. Was he sickly and abandoned? Maybe. After a while he didn’t reappear so I went in. Camera Girl left out more food and milk. But by nightfall it was still there.
Last night I heard about how exciting it was that the little fox was about. I warned her that it wasn’t so good having it around. I told her it was a health hazard for the dogs to have a wild canid around spreading various diseases they could catch. She yes-yessed me but I could tell she was hoping it would stick around. I was preparing myself for the headaches this new “pet” would cause me. Oh well.
But today Rufus was nowhere to be found. Even a fresh portion of food and milk wasn’t enough to lure him back. Is he gone for good? Maybe. Camera Girl is disappointed but I can tell she still has hopes.
To be continued.
