New Neighbors

Out here in the country we are always happy to welcome new neighbors.  We are especially thankful for those neighbors that help in the reduction of our mass rodent population.  I wrote previously about the rattle snakes and the gopher snakes that are helping keep down the mice.  They are not the only friends joining our fight.  This week we had a new family move in down on our road.  The road up to our property is a dirt lane that winds through the oak trees.  At night it looks something like the Blair Witch Project but during the day it is quite pretty.  Along the east side, there is a small creek bed that only has running water for about three weeks a year.  Over time, this creek has caused many wash outs in the hillside which make great homes for rabbits and squirrels.  We even have witnessed a badger a time or two living near this creek bed.  The west side slops up the oak studded hills and over the years, we have seen many deer, some bobcats, mountain lions, wild pigs, and lots of birds.  We also occasionally see these guys.

Sorry for the poor quality, I was using my PAS.

This little guy is, I am pretty sure, a San Joaquin Kit Fox.

On Friday, I got a call from my mother asking if I had seen the fox that was hanging out on our road.  I had not.  She called back sometime later to let me know that the fox had moved into a den just off the road, he wasn't just hunting in the area.  We love these little guys and I was really looking forward to seeing him. Last night, I needed to run into town and that is when I got my first glimpse of our new friend.  That was when I snapped the picture above.  He was happily sitting in front of his den.  Well, as I was driving home, I got a very pleasant surprise.

Again, using my little PAS so the quality isn't very good.  I cropped the photo so they could be seen but that made it grainy.

There wasn't just one fox, but a pack of at least three.  Here they are sitting outside of their den having a snack.  It is hard to see but the fox on the far right has a small rodent in his mouth.  I love a neighborhood that shares my priorities.  I hope they are here to stay for awhile!!