I noticed these cows were watching something in the pasture.
Do you see it? Over to the right....
How about now? Peeking out from behind that bush on the right.....
A mama Red Fox....
I have seen her around the farm in the past. Usually in the Fall of the year she will come up next to the house and get Persimmons as they fall and sometimes she gets on top of the well house so she can pick them directly from the tree.
She looks pretty thin. Probably nursing kits...
I started easing around behind the cows so I could get a better look at her. She got a little nervous and then barked that high pitch , shrill bark that they do. She wasn't barking at me, but back to the left of me. I turned around and looked behind me:
Where there is one, there is usually more......
And more....
And one more.... I think one of the calves kicked this one or he has an equilibrium problem....
I decided I better go put the chickens up. And it looks like they will have to stay up for awhile. I talked with the hubby and decided I would feed the mama a little. It might keep her away from the barn and house.
I poured a little feed on the ground and she didn't hesitate to come eat. As soon as the kits are big enough to forage, we will probably put something around their den in the old shed to deter them from coming back to it. Old clothes or boots. Or I'll take Daniel, the male Pyrenees over there and let him mark his territory. She will probably move them then.
But for now, we will let her be. I caught a glimpse of the daddy but no photo yet. He is really pretty and dark red. Also smaller than the mom. Both parents bring food to the kits and teach them to forage as they get older.
I think this feisty little guy is probably the one that kicked that kit in the head - I saw him chasing one the other day.
And I wanted to share this picture of the Red Twin sisters with their calves.... No mistaking the family resemblance. These girls are old. The calves are the 4th or 5th generation on the farm. Not worth much monetarily, but will always have a home here. These sisters are ALWAYS together as are their babies, year after year.
Happy Friday ya'll! It has been really busy around the farm and my ETSY shop. Already been to the hay fields. So hot!
Also for those that may have missed the announcement, I am suspending Sew Simple Saturdays. Not sure yet if this will be permanent or temporary.
Have a great weekend ya'll!
Thank you for stopping by!
with love from the farm
xo jan
Gorgeous foxes. We have a mated pair here too, but I haven't seen any little ones. They live in the forest on our property and the surrounding mountains.
ReplyDeletelove all the photos! how fun to see the baby foxes.
ReplyDeleteFox are such a beautiful critter, I wish they weren't so awful. And this is a goofy "me thing," but I would luuuuv to cruise Main in an old truck like that with maybe Hank Snow or the like sounding from the speakers:) (rather than economy cars w/ rap) How cool would I be?
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! I hope your chickens stay safe...even though the foxes are a pest it must be really nice seeing them! The Twin Sisters and their calves are beautiful animals!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a fox in the wild. Cool pictures!!
ReplyDeleteYour photography is spectacular! Thank you for sharing this little bit of nature's beauty with us!
ReplyDeleteI forgot what breed your cows were? they are beautiful - I love seeing "happy cows". Sometimes cows in NE FL don't look too happy and some are in too cramped areas. Interesting about the fox family. We have been seeing a fox in our suburban neighborhood if you can believe that. My DH heard a tremendous shrill (like a woman screaming commotion) noise about a month ago down the hill near the slough(swampy area just off the lake)he honestly thought someone was being assaulted and went outside to check and ended up seeing the fox either being attacked or attacking something in a big azalea bush. I didn't quite believe he saw a fox in our area but then about 2 weeks ago right at dusk in that same swampy area - I saw the fox cross the road in front of my car. Amazing where these beautiful creatures can eek out an existence. Hope things are improving around your neck of the woods - have a great week! Mel
ReplyDeleteGreat pics.
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures, Jan.
ReplyDeleteWe are in Northern Va, near the Blue Ridge and we have a lot of those red foxes too. They are beautiful.
Your entire property is just lovely
Wow! Your pics are so great! I can't believe you got so close to the foxes. Aren't cattle great! Your twins that stay together remind me of a group of calves we had a couple of years ago. Every time we'd see them out in the field, they would be grazing in on long single line, side-by-side. :) Great blog, love your stories and amazing pics!
ReplyDeleteThe photos seem to be real and very beautiful! By the way for my two cents , you need to fill out a a form , my colleague saw a fillable document here "goo.gl/YEGs1A".
ReplyDelete