We know it's supposed to be a bird blog, but sometimes when out birding we run into other wildlife that we can't resist photographing. This morning one of the first sightings we made at Forsythe was this adorable red fox. We were so close it was actually difficult to get a picture of this whole body. He was playing or trying to pounce on something for quite a while and didn't seem to mind us watching, so we backed off a little and got some more shots.
Hi Chris and Mike,,,,of all the times I have gone down to Forsythe I have only once seen a Red Fox and it was so far away I could not get a good picture. WOW !!! Your pictures are GREAT! Where do you live anywhere close to Foresythe? I live in central Jersey so it's about a 2 hour ride for me to get down there to the refuge. My friend Nina and I plan on going this Friday to see what is down there. A few years ago I saw and reported a taged Snow Goose. I even had it posted on a web site in Canada. I was thrilled about that. Hope to see more this year. I hope you have good birding from now on. Do you go to Barnegat Light in the winter to see the Harlequin Ducks? I do.
ReplyDeleteCarol Simmons
PS Hope to hear from you.
Hi Chris & Mike
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you made it down to Forysthe and had such a great day. I was wondering where on the refuge you saw the fox.
Nina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your overview of Foresythe. It is about a 2 hour drive for us, so we stayed at the nearby Dolce hotel. We got up early and were probably the first ones there. The fox was right on the side of a dike, almost immediately as we drove in. He was digging a hole and didn't seem to mind the car 10 feet away. If I did it right, the Red Fox photo on flickr is geotagged with the location.
-Mike and Chris
P.S. Thanks also for the tip on Shea's Cafe. The pumpkin pancakes alone were worth the drive.
Carol,
ReplyDeleteWe went to Barnegat Light once last year and saw the harlequin ducks. It was very cloudy and we aren't thrilled with the Harlequin Duck photos we took that day. We were hoping to stop on the way back Sunday, but it was raining. We'll try again some sunny day this fall or winter.
Hi Chris & Mike
ReplyDeleteSo glad you got to Shea's Cafe, Carol and I stop there each time we make, the owner, wife and daughters who work there are great people. Wendy, Lou's wife does all the cooking and creates the wonderful meals. We are going down on Friday and hope you we as lucky as the both of you to see the red fox. You mentioned about your wood ducks being on a lake, where is the lake located. Wood ducks in our area (Central Jersey for me, Hopewell for Carol and her husband) are hard to find. Any suggestions where we might get some photos of them would be appreciatedl.
Nina
Lake Nelson is in Piscataway. Only a small part is accessible on a trail that leads from Lakeside Dr N and Nelson Ave. While we observe "fancy ducks" during late fall and winter, most are passing through and only stay for the morning. We only had wood ducks for two days so far. The hooded merganser was here less than an hour. We thought we saw a bufflehead fly by a few days ago but we haven't seen him again.
ReplyDeleteWe like the Charles H. Rogers Wildlife Refuge in Princeton for wood ducks in central NJ. The bird blind at Sandy Hook has been pretty reliable now too.