Fauna and other natural things

[ab_grp]

That sounds both yuck and eerie, backatit!

We had a rather impudent fox last night.  We were stepping out onto the back patio when I spotted it a couple feet away, walking along our fence line.  It had been headed away from the house and looked to be crossing through the fence out to the street area, but it stopped and looked at us and hopped down and headed our way instead, as if we were intruding on its space! I kicked the door closed.  I don't know what its intentions were, but if I needed to go hand-to-paw with it I first needed to put my glass of wine down at least.  When we were somewhat mentally prepared to deal with the fox, we headed back out, but it had (supposedly) left the scene.  Maybe it was hiding, who knows.  It didn't show its surly and entitled face again last night, thankfully.

[Puget]

That sounds both yuck and eerie, backatit!

We had a rather impudent fox last night.  We were stepping out onto the back patio when I spotted it a couple feet away, walking along our fence line.  It had been headed away from the house and looked to be crossing through the fence out to the street area, but it stopped and looked at us and hopped down and headed our way instead, as if we were intruding on its space! I kicked the door closed.  I don't know what its intentions were, but if I needed to go hand-to-paw with it I first needed to put my glass of wine down at least.  When we were somewhat mentally prepared to deal with the fox, we headed back out, but it had (supposedly) left the scene.  Maybe it was hiding, who knows.  It didn't show its surly and entitled face again last night, thankfully.

Your neighbors may be feeding it--
Foxes make it very clear how domestication happens. We have a family cabin in the mountains that comes with a semi-domesticated fox (or foxes-- we took pictures of their markings this summer to try to figure out if there was more than one but couldn't agree) which makes daily circuits around all the cabins that feed it (including my grandmother, who gives it things like hotdogs she buys just for it, and toast with jam. We lost the battle in suggesting his might not be good for it). It has gotten to the point where if there isn't food out for it it will walk right up to the glass door and sit there looking at you with its head cocked in a way it must have learned humans find irresistible. I'm pretty sure if you opened the door and held out food it would trot right in.

[ab_grp]

That could very well be, Puget! I would be a little surprised given all the push back around my area about "wild" animals, but you never know.  This one definitely seemed as though it would have been fine joining us for some wine or, maybe, enjoying the wine without us.  It's my first time being that close to a fox, so I guess it's good to hear if maybe it was just domesticated and not homicidal.  Just one more critter to keep an eye out for.

[Puget]

That could very well be, Puget! I would be a little surprised given all the push back around my area about "wild" animals, but you never know.  This one definitely seemed as though it would have been fine joining us for some wine or, maybe, enjoying the wine without us.  It's my first time being that close to a fox, so I guess it's good to hear if maybe it was just domesticated and not homicidal.  Just one more critter to keep an eye out for.

I will just leave this here for anyone interested in fox domestication, genetics, and Soviet history (and who wouldn't be really?):
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/segments/91696-new-nice

[ab_grp]

That could very well be, Puget! I would be a little surprised given all the push back around my area about "wild" animals, but you never know.  This one definitely seemed as though it would have been fine joining us for some wine or, maybe, enjoying the wine without us.  It's my first time being that close to a fox, so I guess it's good to hear if maybe it was just domesticated and not homicidal.  Just one more critter to keep an eye out for.

I will just leave this here for anyone interested in fox domestication, genetics, and Soviet history (and who wouldn't be really?):
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/segments/91696-new-nice

That was pretty interesting all around, especially the end.  Thanks!

[Thursday's_Child]

If anyone follows earthquakes, there is an on-going swarm of small & shallow earthquakes just SW of Iceland, underwater, on the Reykjanes ridge.  It's been going on for about four hours now - so far, the largest was a magnitude 4.6.

https://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes

[mamselle]

Wow. I hadn't realized Iceland sits directly atop the mid Atlantic Ridge.

Talk about being on the growing edge of things....

M.

[Juvenal]

Wow. I hadn't realized Iceland sits directly atop the mid Atlantic Ridge.

Talk about being on the growing edge of things....

M.

It's Splitsville for Icelanders.

[Thursday's_Child]

Wow. I hadn't realized Iceland sits directly atop the mid Atlantic Ridge.

Talk about being on the growing edge of things....

M.

Yep - growing from volcanism along one side and eroding away on the other!

[Parasaurolophus]

In the last few days, a pile of sea otters, some bald eagles, and a grey whale. Possibly a glimpse of seal.

[professor_pat]

Woohoo, sounds like a nice submarine volcanic eruption off the Reykjanes Peninsula! Thanks for sharing that, Thursdays_Child.

[mamselle]

Wow. I hadn't realized Iceland sits directly atop the mid Atlantic Ridge.

Talk about being on the growing edge of things....

M.

Yep - growing from volcanism along one side and eroding away on the other!

Everything's so politicized these days, it wouldn't be too surprising to see a student protest with signs saying "Down with Vulcanism"....

M.

[Anselm]

Iceland is lacking in fauna with only the Arctic Fox as its only native mammal.  Other things like reindeer were introduced by settlers.  An occasional polar bear lands there on its chunk of ice.  The locals believe that elves and trolls are hiding in the interior.  You can take a tour to where they filmed some scenes from Game of Thrones at the mid-Atlantic Ridge, specifically at Thingvellir.

[ab_grp]

We had another couple of fox incidents.  One night while we were sitting on the patio, I looked to the left and saw a fox heading toward us not too far from where we first had spotted the first one.  Spouse scared it away.  Then, a few minutes later, I looked to the right and saw something through some tree leaves.  Something fox-sized! Sure enough, it was a fox.  At first, we thought the left side one had circled around the house to approach from the other side, but spouse said this one was bigger.  He chased that one off as well.  A couple nights later, I saw something perched on one of our fence posts (a square rock fixture).  At first I thought it was a cat.  It was not.  Spouse thinks it was the littler fox.  It just sat there looking at us while we tried in vain to get a good picture of it.  Once spouse finally remembered how to use his good camera, it hopped down and went wherever.  Oh well.  He thought he saw it ambling up the road a day or so after that.

I need to get a new phone (would love not to, but this one keeps crashing) and was trying to figure out how much storage is needed.  Spouse reminded me that I might need extra storage for the videos I take of cats.  Apparently, I am cat lady.  Not a surprise, but always interesting to hear what people think of first in these situations.

[Catherder]

The lake is frozen and has become a highway for wildlife.  One male deer crossed to check out opportunities to the west, then went back to collect his harem.

As in previous years, a fox crosses from west to east in the morning and returns late afternoon every day.

And otters are crouching by cracks in the ice waiting for fish.

My desk faces all this-- a great break from marking and writing.