Welcome to the Sunday edition of WildKnife Photo stories. In anticipation of Valentines day I thought it might be fun to have a look at love in the subarctic animal kingdom.
As you know foxes and ravens are plentiful in and around Yellowknife and so it’s reasonable to assume that I would have an opportunity to see these animals displaying affectionate behaviours. I’ve been fortunate to capture a number of photos that show the more affectionate side of animals.
Ravens tend to pair up and bonded pairs are a common site around Yellowknife in the winter months. Couples groom each other picking through each others feathers with their beaks. Sometimes they bring each other gifts such as food or an object of particular interest. I’ve also observed behaviour that looks similar to “kissing” where ravens will repeatedly grab each others beaks. By late spring most of the ravens have paired up and disappeared into the forest to raise their young. They are attentive parents and both males and females defend the nest and feed the young.
Foxes are quite fun to watch. Lately I’ve been noticing behaviours that lead me to believe that the breeding season is ramping up for dogs and vixens. Vixens have a very unique “bark”. The first time I heard it I thought it was a cross between a dog and a raven cry! She uses this sound to call out to any males in the area and then the chase begins. Males will hang around and sniff at females and engage them in “play”. Females aren’t always receptive to their suitors’ advances and will often bare their teeth. In the past couple of weeks I’ve seen foxes hanging loosely in pairs and on a couple occasions observed some antagonistic courtship!
I hope you enjoy this weeks story and photos.