Reynoldsburg: Foxes!

Sitting at our kitchen window, waiting for today's snow to start (it hasn't stopped yet), Joan spotted a pair of red foxes investigating the woods. One chewed on the frozen leg of a deceased groundhog for a while, but gave it up. They did some pouncing in the snow, but I don't know if they caught anything or not. I shot some pictures through the window. As usual, click to enlarge.

Licking a paw (they don't want stuff to freeze in between the pads of their feet).

Taking a brief pause.

Almost hidden by the trees.

Is there something in its mouth?

Standing at attention (there is a fenced-in dog two houses down from us).

Trotting through the snow pack.

They made it a very exciting morning for us.

After two snows ...

After two snows in less than a week, we have about 16" of snow on the ground here in Reynoldsburg. Such an accumulation happens only every three or four years in this neck of the woods, so it's quite an event, and most schools, churches, presentations, etc. are canceled. Here's our house after the second shoveling. If there's another snowfall, we may run out of room to put the stuff.

The deer have become quite fearless. Part of it may be hunger, but they'll come up into the yards and between the houses even in summer. The primary culprits are deer overpopulation and loss of habitat.

There's a large group/troop that's been in the small neck of woods behind our house for the last several days. (Some of the neighbors are feeding them.) How many deer can you see in this photo? (Click to enlarge).

Well, here's my answer: 13. I might have seen 14 at once this week, but not in this photo.