[bcbirdclub] Fox and Rabbit
- From: "Roger Mayhorn" <rmayhorn@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "BCBC Listserve" <bcbirdclub@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 18 May 2011 23:51:36 -0400
This afternoon the female Gray Fox came into the yard without us seeing her.
When we noticed her she was eating one of the family of chipmunks that lives
near the pond, which we were sad to see, but she has a litter that needs milk
too, so there you have it. I've come to realize that if you deal with nature,
don't expect her to conform to your rules. After finishing her meal the fox
walked farther over into the yard and lay down. Shortly a rabbit hopped out of
the flowers about 20 feet or so away from her. The fox had her head turned and
didn't see the rabbit. When the rabbit realized what the fox was it stopped
where it was and didn't move. The rabbit remained still for about a minute with
the fox not knowing the rabbit was only a few feet away.
Finally the fox caught sight of the rabbit, and the rabbit made one hop. The
vixen's ears went up and she half stood up. The rabbit hopped about 8 or 10
feet and began nibbling on grass. The fox watched for another minute before
settling back down to its more comfortable position.
In the several years that foxes have been coming to the yard I have seen only
one chase an adult rabbit. On the other hand I used to see lots of baby rabbits
each spring, but I haven't seen any for the last few years. I think the foxes
have a hard time catching an adult, but they probably prey on the young
rabbits. They probably feed rabbits to their young as well.
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
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