We decided to head over to the San Juan Island in Washington state to catch a glimpse of the the foxes and their recent litter of kits this past weekend. The foxes of San Juan Island comes in a variety of colors including brown, black, silver, and orange or any combination with a very distinct bushy tail with white tip. Although the colors vary, they are all part of the same species of Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes.
Red foxes usually have black “stockings”, white undersides, and black tipped ears on the outside while white on the inside. They appear bigger in size because of their thick bushy coat despite their tall skinny legs. Weighing about 10 to 14 pounds, red foxes are members of the dog family, Canidae. Caninae known as canines includes dogs, wolves, and coyotes. These animals have long pointed snouts and erected ears. They are often seen because they prefer open habitats and are not strictly nocturnal. The San Juan Foxes are opportunistic omnivorous feeders that will eat insects, birds, mice, snakes, rabbits, voles, and berries.
Red foxes are active year round but the most exciting time to observe them is in April and May. This time of year is when the newly born kits emerge from the dens. With patience, you should be able to get a few sightings of them once you park along the side of road on Pickett’s Lane. Pickett’s Lane is in the American Camp and South Beach area. You will not only see the daily activities of the foxes but also the rabbits that live in the prairie. The rabbit warrens are extensive throughout the prairie. The foxes take over these warrens and use them as their dens. There are several active dens between American Camp and South Beach. Each den could contain anywhere from 2 to 5 kits. You can observe the kits outside the dens exploring, playing or napping while the parents are away hunting.
We arrived around just before midday after a brief ferry ride from Anacortes and was able to watch from a distance as a couple of adult foxes hunted in the prairie. They creeped low to the ground after prey in a a cat like manner as they stretch their head high to listen and look, then pounce at their target with their forefeet. Later in the day we were able to see young foxes from several dens coming out to look around and to lounge out in the warm sun. It was a nice 72 degree day on the island. We viewed several little foxes of varying colors as they randomly popped out of entrances from all over the prairie for a few hours until it was time to head back to catch the ferry. To view some of the foxes we saw click here.