Are you tired of all the posts about foxes? Me neither! I am particularly fond of shooting foxes in the winter with the beautiful arctic light and the crisp clean backdrop of snow. Winter provides a fantastic opportunity to capture foxes in their majestic winter coats and observe mating behaviours.
The family of foxes that I had a chance to watch grow up last year are getting frisky and preparing to have their own families. I’m curious to see whether they den together for safety or split up into new territories. In the meantime, I am enjoying the time they tolerate me and doing my best to capture their behaviours.
These foxes have been quite active and entertaining to watch the past few weeks. There are about 5 or 6 of them hanging out in the same area right now. Often I see them in pairs or threes playing chase and “wrestling”. Sometimes it appears they are having fun and sometimes it appears the attention is not welcomed. I’ve also noticed that in the last couple of weeks the foxes have begun to disperse and are much more skittish of my presence.
This probably means that females are pregnant and seeking out and prepping den sites. Apparently mid-March is typical birthing time though I wouldn’t be surprised if NWT foxes are a few of weeks off the “norm” if temperatures and light affect an animal’s heat cycle.
I usually spot kits emerging from the dens near the end of May and beginning of June. If they are around 5-6 weeks when they emerge and the gestation cycle for a fox kit is 49-58 days, I would expect these foxes would be giving birth mid-April. That means my fox encounters will likely be less frequent in the coming weeks until I can scope out and confirm den sites to observe in the early summer.
Until next week, enjoy the photos.