Well, before the bear savaged the cam, the local foxes came out to play.
Tehachapi log set before Stephen Colbert's Nightmare - that's cam #s600CF in the center
The first gray fox to the scene wasn't very gray at all. Kind of bronze, in fact. Also note that the normally black tail crest and tip is much reduced, and more coffee in color. Interesting.
Gray fox color morph that's more bronze and brown, than gray and black
Bronze fox up on the log
Foxes came by the log 10 of the 12 nights before the nightmare-bear hacky-sacked the camera. They accounted for 85 of the 233 total photos.
Typical gray-gray foxes visited most of the time. The skunky scent I had sprayed in the log and on the ground seems to really make 'em bouncy. Or, perhaps they're always that way.
Sniffing the scent in the log
Checking out the camera
Boing!
Listening... (remember - it's quite dark - ears and noses are their true eyes at night)
Tracking...
Tag! You're it! The quick gray foxes jumping over the lazy brown log
Much more typical coloring on these two
Even playing in the rain
And mugging for the camera
Have a very Merry Christmas, and happy holiday week, all.
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References:
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - Urocyon cinereoargenteus
- Wikipedia - Gray Fox
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Stephen Colbert's Nightmare
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - posts on cam trapping the Tehachapis
beautiful fox photos!
ReplyDeleteLove the running shots, and that color morph is highly unusual for a critter that almost always looks alike.
ReplyDeleteSeason's best to you and yours, as well. Thanks for the great blog, and for all the terrific photos here and at Flickr!
ReplyDeleteGreat rain shot, as were all of them.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics, RT! Gray fox are one of my favs....they aren't as common where we live now (they were everywhere in NC). I'm going to miss them!
ReplyDeleteAs Codger said...those running shots are awesome.
What type of camera were these pictures taken with?
ReplyDeleteHi Sam. The cam trap photos in this post, and most on my blog, are from "homebrew" homemade camera traps that use small point-and-shoot cameras, and thus give better quality than typical Bushie/Moultrie trail cameras because they actually have lenses and auto-focus, etc.
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