I’ve been asked to come up with a red fox exhibit, so I’ve been digging back through the archives to see what I can come up with. Here are a few of my favorites.
This next weekend, November 22-24, I’ll be at the 802 Arts House Celebrate Vermont Art Show at the Doubletree in Burlington, VT. I’ll have lots of prints, note cards and calendars. Stop by and say hello. All the show details here: https://www.starbirdevents.com/celebrate-vermont.
My 2025 New England Wildlife Calendar is still available. You can order them on my site www.IanClark.com.
On to the foxes. I think some of the first professional level wildlife photos I took were of a fox den in Swiftwater, NH, back in 2013. A friend found a den and tipped me off. I was able to set up my blind and watched the family for about 25 hours over several mornings. And I was hooked. Fox kits are just too cute to ignore.
I hear there are several snow owls that have been spotted in New England. I’ll be out looking for them after I get past the show next weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!
Two of our loon families – the Westons and Middletons have hatched two chicks. I’ve been out to see how they, and their neighbors are doing.
The Tenney Memorial Library will host me this Sunday, June 23, at 2:00 p.m. for my slideshow, An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon. Free and everyone welcome.
I left a game camera looking out my blind by one of the fox dens. Here’s a minute of foxes big and small coming and going.
A neighbor told me he has a whippoorwill stopping by late every evening and early every morning. I sat out by his garden and got a good listen to the whippoorwill. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see him. So far, he’s eluded my game cameras. My consolation prize was a pair of bobolinks:
A friend on the Weston’s pond messaged me on the 13th, telling me they’d seen a chick. I headed up to visit that evening.
By the 16th, the Middletons were in the window for the chicks to hatch. I headed over early, in heavy fog. It was a fine 36° when I put in. Heavy fog made it hard to find the loons.
Early on the 18th, I headed up to check on the Westons. It was 74° when I put in, almost 40° difference in two days.
There was sad news when I got out on the pond.
I went back up to the pond on the 19th, on a very hot and hazy morning.
Friends in West Newbury helped me locate two red fox dens. One has four kits, the other five. All of the foxes look healthy with beautiful coats. And fox kits are just darned cute.
I’ll be giving my slideshow, An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon, twice in the near future. The first will be at the Lyme, NH, School at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 30th. The second presentation will be at the Tenney Memorial Library in Newbury, VT, at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday June 23.
I’ll have another post with updates on the loons and their neighbors shortly. The Westons are sitting on their nest, we know they have at least one egg. The Middletons are building their nest, should lay their eggs any day now. The road to the Eastons has been repaired, I’ll get up to visit them as soon as I can.
Finding a fox den is a treat. But it means long hours in a blind waiting for the action. When I found the first den, I set up a blind and several game cameras to let me know what was up. The first morning it wasn’t raining, I snuck into the blind before dawn. And waited. Eventually, the kits appeared.
Check back soon for an update on the loons. Or you can sign up below to get an email when I add a new post. If you know someone who loves wildlife, please share the post with them.