Near the Mayfair Ranch / Longwall Cyn Trail junction.
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Trail Encounter 10:30AM, 3 July 2008 |
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Near the Mayfair Ranch / Longwall Cyn Trail junction. |
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| This gray fox and her kit were unaware of my presence. | ||
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| Then she heard the click, click, click of my camera's lens shutter. | ||
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| And immediately decided to investigate. | ||
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| I could hear her growl as she loped towards me. | ||
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| She came steadily onward showing no fear. | ||
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| Her kit joined her, but I don't think it was fully aware of me. | ||
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| She, on the otherhand, kept her eyes fixed on me. | ||
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| She paused briefly as she drew near. By now, she'd quit growling. | ||
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| But then continued coming towards me. | ||
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| At this point she and her kit were about 20-feet away. | ||
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| Notice her ragged ear tips and eyes of different sizes? | ||
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| I think she's blind in one eye, possibly due to fights with prey or other predators. | ||
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| She stood staring at me for maybe a minute. | ||
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| Then returned back along the trail from where she'd come. | ||
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| She took one last backwards glance at me before leaving the trail. | ||
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| But she didn't go far. Just off trail, she and her kit rested in shade. | ||
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| She sat watching me as I passed by on the trail below. | ||
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| The kit left the shade and a short ways up the hill disappeared into the brush. | ||
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| She turned slightly to watch me as I passed. | ||
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| Not wanting to stress her by trying to get closer, I took this final photo before walking away. | ||
| Greatest threat to gray foxes is loss of habitat, urbanization. | ||
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