Here at NQ99HQ we see a lot of songbirds---too many species to mention right here, so I will stick with wildlife sightings which are more unusual. So far this year, unusual sightings have been a gray fox and her cubs, a western diamond back rattlesnake, two coveys of quail, a fair number of red-tailed hawks and owls and a few deer. Feral hogs and coyotes are around, but we don't see much of them because they are night runners. One should take note of the quail as this is the second year we have had nesting bob-white quail. They have not nested in this area for some time until last year. It has been dry here for the last few years, which helps to keep the fireants down in the ground and it is known that fireants are a big problem for ground nesting birds.
So, on to the fox.
The gray fox showed up with her two pups just about dusk, and just at the time that the wrens were getting their fledglings out of the nest. I thought the coincidence of the two events was rather noteworthy, but I don't know if the wrens made it or not. The foxes sure looked like they were prowling around looking for something, and it may have been the wrens they were looking for.
We have no red fox here, but we are on the very western edge of the range for Red. As you may know, red foxes are not native to North America---they were introduced on the east coast for fox hunting quarry. Its interesting that our gray foxes show up with a noticeable amount of red tinge to their coats. It is thought that this red tinge is a result of years of interbreeding between the grays and the reds. Here is a picture of the one that appeared in the back yard. So far this year, two other families of gray foxes have been reported in our ranch community of 2000 acres.
Here she is, intent on something:
More later.
So, on to the fox.
The gray fox showed up with her two pups just about dusk, and just at the time that the wrens were getting their fledglings out of the nest. I thought the coincidence of the two events was rather noteworthy, but I don't know if the wrens made it or not. The foxes sure looked like they were prowling around looking for something, and it may have been the wrens they were looking for.
We have no red fox here, but we are on the very western edge of the range for Red. As you may know, red foxes are not native to North America---they were introduced on the east coast for fox hunting quarry. Its interesting that our gray foxes show up with a noticeable amount of red tinge to their coats. It is thought that this red tinge is a result of years of interbreeding between the grays and the reds. Here is a picture of the one that appeared in the back yard. So far this year, two other families of gray foxes have been reported in our ranch community of 2000 acres.
Here she is, intent on something:
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