Fox Kits and Tea Time

Ask me about my favorite things to watch in nature, and I would probably answer-fox. They're my good luck animal, and I usually see one, or at least catch a glimpse of one, on my birthday.

For half a year, we had a vixen who slept outside our window. She curled up like a fiddleneck fern with her bushy, white-tipped tail covering her nose. When we walked past our window or wandered outdoors, she lifted her head and watched us or trotted over to the area where we worked. Nothing escaped her notice. Late, on cold autumn nights as we walked the island, she ran along beside us crashing through the dried grasses and looping around us like a pup.

Today, we attended a class held at a late 1700's saltwater farm. As our leader spoke to us about the geological history of the land, we saw a small, pointy face with large black-tipped ears pop up above a hummock of grass. We trained our binoculars on the darting flash of russet, which was quickly joined by another and another–three kit foxes, who frolicked, jumped, and sprinted around the newly mown field in search of mice and voles.We watched them 'til they disappeared behind a hill.

The skies darkened, a few drops of rain fell, and our class disbanded. We walked toward our car, but didn't want to leave before we hiked the milkweed trail to the fox field. Within a few minutes, we found the entry to the fox den, but left quickly so as not to disturb them.

As we headed up the hill, we spied two of the kits just as they saw us. One ran, tail outstretched, white tip flashing a warning, as the other stopped and looked us over.

A perfect day. The fox kits, the giant waves thundering against the ledges below our cottage, and a cup of afternoon tea on the porch.

From our little green island,

Sharon