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I have been nurturing the wildlife in my yard for years. My bird feeders have attracted many species of birds, raccoons, opossum, squirrels, chipmunks, deer and others. I am thrilled to say that a family of foxes has moved in under my shed. They are beautiful and fascinating to watch. There is a mother with at least 4 kits. I have watched them run around the shed area at dawn and they play with each other like puppies at all times of the day. They are marvelous! Just one problem, they have turned all of my wildlife into prey. It�s a hard reality to accept that all of the animals that I have been watching over are now at risk of becoming a meal. Could you please write a few words about this subject? And also could you touch on which animals are at risk?

Thanks!
Phyllis in New Jersey

Hi Phyllis, welcome to our board!! Sounds like you have a very well balanced area in your yard to support such a mix of creatures! We've all had our hearts broken when our songbirds become the prey of a hawk who discovers the easy pickings around a bird feeder. As you say, it's part of life, but it's hard to accept all the same. Short of calling the animal control people to remove the foxes from your shed, the best you can do is watch and learn from this, an experience most of us will never see. Then, when the kits are old enough to fend for themselves, you should screen off the area they had used as their den so that next year it doesn't happen again.

The fox eats a wide variety of things including berries, grasses, birds, mice, small rabbits, squirrels, and insects. The mother will first regurgitate the food for the kits, but eventually she will bring them live prey for them to "play with."

I envy you this experience!

Marian

Phyllis,

What a wonderful gift Mother Nature has given you. It is disturbing to see the preditor/prey roles that are a reality of life. For us humans, we seem to need to be rescuer of the prey, no matter how much we like the preditor. Something about that "underdog" thing I think.

Like Marian suggested, either have them removed, (and if it were me, I wouldn't do this-just my opinion) or let nature run it's course and try to prevent them from denning there next year.

If you have enough natural cover for many of your other visiting creatures, they will survive the fox's diet. After all, they have to worry about the fox no matter where they live. Be it in your yard or next door. With them in your yard, you just get a front row seat to the interaction that goes on everyday. Again, like Marian said, this is something that most of us will never get the chance to see.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us and welcome to the board.

Rose

Welcome Phyllis! I would be thrilled to have a family of foxes so close! WE can't just have the wildlife we desire can we? I feel the same way about the hawks checking out my bird feeders! One winter I had coyotes in my yard. I wasn't too happy when I realized they snagged my rabbits!
But I would guess the foxes will move on soon enough and let nature take its course.
Lucky you to have this experience! Keep us posted! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Phyllis, when I lived in Pocahontas Co, WV, there was a family of foxes that lived on the hillside above my house. I also enjoyed watching the young ones romp and play in the evenings while mama watched. But I also worried about my cats. Do you have pets? I would keep my cats inside. Dogs are pretty safe - make sure the dogs have updated rabies shots if you have a dog.

Yes, the foxes are adorable, but they also need to eat. Mother nature produces a tremendous amount of rabbits, mice, etc. in order to provide enough energy for the food chain. I know its hard to imagine these cute furry creatures as just food, but that is nature's way. I too hate to see a chipmunk become a toy for my cat, and I have to admit I've shaken a few birds loose from my cat's jaws. But I also have to tell myself this is nature's way.

If you don't want the foxes destroyed, then I wouldn't call animal control. Perhaps the DNR could relocate them, but I wouldn't be sure. Of course, if they're very young, it would be hard on them to be moved and mama have to set up a new home. I would leave them and watch and learn. Then like others have said, take measures to prevent it next year.

Keep us posted.

Hi Marian, Rose, Brenda and Lois Ann

Thank you so very much for your welcomes, replies and experienced opinions. You have confirmed my sentiments of how special my situation is and the realities of nature. I also sent my question to Ken Burton at eNature.com and the CritterGuy and I would like to quote their answers.

Ken said �Life is impossible without death. Only photosynthetic plants are able to produce their own food; every other living thing has to live off other living (or already dead) things. Many of the animals you were enjoying before the foxes came along - including the birds, raccoons, opossums, and even the squirrels - have been eating one another and other animals all along. Predation is everywhere; we just don't see it all that often.�

Jim, the CritterGuy�s statement was very similar. He said �Foxes range over a wide territory, so they are not just hunting in your yard. Actually, some of the animals you are already attracting are themselves predators, so this has been going on for some time! Raccoons are efficient killers of smaller animals, and in some areas are over-abundant and have a bad effect on numbers of ground-nesting birds, small mammals, turtles, frogs, etc. Possums also eat small
animals. Squirrels often eat bird eggs and baby birds. In other words, it is doubtful that the foxes will make much difference over the long term.
They mainly eat common animals with good reproductive powers. So enjoy them!�

I am involved in government in the township where I live. I am co-chair of the Shade Tree Commission. My commission and our Planning Board have been fighting development since I moved here eight years ago. We have been successful and have kept our town extremely rural even though New York City is just a 45 minute car ride away. The natural state we have achieved is our goal and the foxes are part of it. In the past few years I have watched our wildlife species increase. A few years ago I was amazed to see wild turkeys walking past my window! They have been a permanent fixture ever since. It is this natural diversity that has attracted the foxes in the first place. I will leave them alone and enjoy their extraordinary presence.

Yes, Lois Ann, I do have two beautiful cats but they are kept inside.

I have been video taping the foxes and have some great footage. I am presently editing the shots and will post them and give you all the URL so you can enjoy this experience with me.

Thanks again! I will keep you all informed.

Phyllis

Phyllis, I can't wait to see the video. It will be so fun to watch the kits. Where near NYC do you live? DH and I will driving thru there in July. We will be going from Washington DC to Stratford, CT and then on to upstate NY. I have a sister near Ithaca.

The last time I drove from NYC to my sister's place, it was late at night in September. I saw so many deer along the road (both live and dead) that I stopped counting at 35. I have seen a lot of turkeys in NY too. Few people seem to understand that NY is not the same as NYC.

Rose

Hi Phyllis:

I was very interested to read your initial post and the replies posted by our members and from enature's Ken Burton and the Critter Guy. I'm in SE PA about 25 miles from Philadelphia and it's amazing how much wildlife still exists after the massive housing development that has taken place in this area over the past decade or so. I'm sure some of the wildlife is even more visible these days because it has been displaced from more remote and secure locales. Just the other day on an early morning walk I spotted three little critters at the edge of a woods by a pond. I've been hearing and reading about the existence of foxes and coyotes in my area, but I still haven't seen any coyotes(to my knowledge) and seldom see any foxes although a friend of mine who lives in my township has a family of foxes in a stretch of woods behind their house. I wasn't sure whether I was viewing young foxes or coyotes the other day even after reading through all of enature's info about both species. I think I'm leaning toward my threesome being fox kits. Perhaps when you post the URL for your video I'll be able to resolve my ID indecision.

Anxious to read more about your foxes,
Leequi <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />