It pays to be observant when walking in the woods of northern Michigan in the spring. On a morning hike he came across this deep hole or den. This could house a variety of animals, so it looked promising as a den for some baby animals just entering the world this spring.
The Kits (baby foxes)
Upon close exam he saw fresh dirt in front of a hole….
…along with bones at the base of a tree near the holes
Up went the trailcam to see if there was any action around these holes. The quality of a photo taken by a trailcam is not the same as one taken by a professional camera and lens. Trailcams are used for reconnaissance, and since they work 24/7, they will see things that could easily go unnoticed when you are not around.
The nighttime picture shows the reflection from the eyes of an adult fox. The structure of the eyes of animals (us humanoids do not have this structure) that reflects light like this is called the tapetum lucidum.
Just as the sun was rising at 6 AM the trailcam caught 2 fox kits playing in front of a den
With the knowledge that there were foxes present, and with lots of patience and camouflage (and a professional camera and lens), Dr. P was able to capture them as they poked their heads out a day later after they had been somewhat habituated to his presence.
Two came out together and then went right back into the den
This brave one came out a little more
Dr. P sat on the ground and behind a tree, and eventually with a little coaxing he obtained a short video of one of the kits.
A few days after these pictures were taken the female was photographed by the trailcam taking her kits to a new location. They were never seen from again. Even though the picture quality is not great, he never would have known what happened to the kits the next day when they did not appear at their den.
