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Home My WebLink AboutMay 20, 2004 - Oh, those frolicsome foxes The Suffolk Times • May 20, 2004 O � � � • 1 ome o�es ro c s , � ��f� �� ';� °�� v�� ',, w�',��'��,' �, ,;. �,,, i e �r� �"��r�� °''�"� � , "' ;�°" ��' � �!,,,,�i� �G; �y r � ti / / I I ��'��i ��yr e��dr�n"'��' ,ra� i � � %�/�.��,� �� r ��,� �� • i � � � � ��d � �� , ,�� '� �� ir c f�,� 1p�r � ,, � ; �, , �� G ��G . ui�„ ��, r�il r i��,� �4,/r, � '� �'� �� iluE , , i' �p"� � � � �� , iN�P "% � ^�M"� �i �,��,�"+��il ��tik ,� ,".m� . ��' ,;� �r M i �" °' �,u u � �" �n �/ " �� i � �u �' � � m�v��, '� �, ��, y r � ., � eNr� ,l� ,4ir: .� �, �,.,� �� .� �� '� ' � N y t,. � � w� ,�° �, � �� t ,�M4 n,��i, ��"��Nqa i h:Wq� ^ ,+�"�'- ' � � , �: �- M �'��,��, t ° ,,. "� �n ,�d , , } " �'� �,W w �� e� ., . '�w .�. t �e�. �y U/,. N�,. - " , . „ � .. � ., � . iy„ � � . �;�"� �� rw , N�h '" ;%� ' ��`W �.» I just woke up... What are you doing here? .. ��• ��,�.`t M.y�� .�. �f M� �,W�,� �� .� . 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P 'b � �� lNp y � �t/n + �„ . ,.�n . /^'j�a;i �r � �'�lp�� ,r'�� ,i r .�� ..� ��"� isn• •,4�.e � �.np ��i ,� ll° "MmIH.� ��a �� : d Excuse me while I scratch! Time for my nap. Times/Review photos by Paul Stoutenburgh Ros E-MAtLED us to tell about a fox where.Finally we found the right road den he had seen on Shelter Island.We and followed Rob's instructions.There hadn't written about foxes for some it was,the pile of time and thought it would give us a �,QCu$ dirt that marked good excuse to take a goof-off day, the den,but our plus it would let us reacquaint our- 0�[ hearts sank. selves with that lovely island.We had There wasn't a 1`IATU RE fox in sight. to get lost once or twice on the back paul Had the oun roads,but that diddt matter,for it was bY Y g a beautiful day and spring was every- Stoutenburgh alena�d�Weerehhe These young ones were way past weaning and I'm sure they're taking solid foods from their parents by now. Usually you can see some feathers and bones around the entrance to the den,which the kits play with,learning how to jump and run,and make ave you seen a glossy ibis? Pve believe they're the new hunters.In the had reports from Greenpart to like our own kids when they were early days the parents eat small mice lamesport about these unusual-look- young and just wanted to sleep in? and voles,then regurgitate them,par- ing birds passing through.If you're What to do?"Let's ust sit and wait." tially predigested,for the pups.Later � they just deposit the food in front of lucky,you can see them almost any- We had made a stop in town for some where the ground is wet or soggy.Th coffee and rolls.Now was the time to their young,who gulp it down with last sighting I heard of came from relax and enjoy our morning snack. snarls and the showing of teeth.One along Peconic Bay Boulevard near Most people dodt realize that the out of the litter will become the domi- Dreamer's Cove.There were 15 of red fox actually came from Europe.It nant kit.In their lessons,the young these casual migrants feeding in a was im orted to breed with our native play and frolic,jumping and leaping at p each other as a relude to oin out marsh.They are about pigeon-sized, gray fox for hunting.There was a time and huntin on heir own.B fg with relatively long legs,and are a when gray foxes were part of our they're accomplished hunte s nd dark brown color that has an irides- world,but hunting has almost eliminat- leave the famil each oin �ts cent sheen when caught in just the ed them here on Long Island.And did y> g g °�'n ri ht light. ou know the ra fox is known for its separate way. Y g Y e most important characteristic of ability to climb trees in pursuit of a One thing about foxes few people the glossy ibis is its big,long,curved meal?Watch out,Mr.Gra S uirrel! realize is that they're quite vocal.You y q can hear their" a a a on ui bill.There's no mistaking them when The gray fox prefers dense forest Y P Y P Y P" q et you see them fly with that unusual bill far its huntin rounds.The red fox, nights when they're advertising their g g out in front and their feet trailing on the other hand,prefers a more territory and telling everyone else to behind.When they fly,they flap their o en habitat,which is wh it fits in so scram.Most of their food gathering is P Y wings and then glide,then more flap- well here on Long Island with its rural done during the nighttime.Most foxcs > are ver curious but sh p�pg and gliding.They re very easy to makeup of farmland,patches of wood- Y y.I can remem- recognize.That long bill is used to land,and hedgerows. ber unce my son told me he could call probe for earthworms and insects in All foxes are opportunists and will �n a fox.Like other parents might have done, I said,"Yeah`?"and went the marshy wet areas where they eat almost anything.Their diet consists explore for food. mainly of voles,mice,rats and rabbits, a ong wi � . e sat own on t e side �ey nest,by the way,on Gardiners all of which do damage to farmers' of a bank and he had some sort of a and Plum islands.They build a stick call I guess it was a fox call.It was a nest in low shrubs usuall in a colon crops.But there is a down side to the � y y fox's appetite,and that is its liking for high-pitched sound that he told me of herons.The glossy ibis,like the cat- chickens.This,by the way,I can per- represented a rabbit in distress.1 n 10 tle egret,is a relative newcomer to our sonally vouch for.For all the good minutes or so a fox came walking shores.It's speculated that both birds they do for the farmer,I guess a chick- right up to us until it realized there ariginally came from Africa,blown by en now and then isn't all that bad. was something a little odd about the some freak storm to the coast of Foxes breed from mid January until situation and turned and scurried off.I South America.From there they late February,and iYs during this time could see it had black legs and feet and the little white ti on the end of �'�'orked their way north,until today they dig out their den.Usually it's 15 p they can be found nesting sparsely to 20 feet in length and has more than its tail as it disappeared in the under- from Florida to Maine. cne entrance,which we were to find brush. I remember photographing ibises in out as we watched and waited on On our ride back from Shelter a roost of nesting night herons and Shelter Island.Finally we noticed Island we recalled fox dens we've vis- another entrance a short way away, ited over the years.One noontime snowy egrets on Gardiners Island with where,to our surprise,two kits had while I was teaching in Greenport and Denms Puleston years ago.We had put Barbara was workin at up a blind or,as the English call it,a been lying in the sun,curiously watch- g The Suffolk «hide,"to photograph from.The way ing us all the time.We hadn't noticed Times,I called her and said,"There you fool the bird is that you use two them while we had our eyes on what are some young foxes in a den down we thought was the main entrance. in Orient.LeYs go down and photo- people;one stays in the blind to photo- Our waiting had paid of£For the next graph them."We did.It's always fun to graph while the other walks away from half nuur we watched with delight as watch the little kits at play.Another �t.Since birds can t count,they assume the kits played and frolicked about. It place where I photographed a den was the intruders have all left and soon alon side the railroad tracks in come back to their nest,letting the all ended as Barbara moved in to get g person inside the blind photograph a better picture.In a flash they disap- Cutchogue.Then there was a call them.It's a great way to study them at peared down into the safety of the about a family of foxes living under a den.We were satisfied and so we said cottage in Greenport.And year after their most intimate nesting time. ear we et a call from Nassau Point T}►is is the time of greatest bird good luck to our little players and y g activity,the spring migration,so try to headed back to the ferry.It proved to about a family of foxes living under a look up and see some of the players in be a perfect goof-off da . tool shed.The owner is thrilled to this great annual show,remembering have them. most are just here for a few days and then will move on. 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