Foxes During the Day

Even though this part of Virginia has been facing temperatures in the single digits lately, the red fox foxes are jumping in front of the cameras in the daytime more than ever before.

Why is this? Well, I think there are two reasons.  

Here's the first reason:

Foxes don't like to be around humans, at least for the most part.  They tend to shy away from us and that's the way it should be.  

Since there are less people walking around parks (or other places that I have cameras) during the winter, foxes may be more comfortable with coming out in the day.  

More foxes out during the day means more chances of camera-trap images of them in the day.

Here's the other reason:

Winter this year has been cold.  Very cold. For the past few days, temperatures have barely been able to make it higher than the 20 degree fahrenheit mark.  

These temperatures have been warmer than nighttime temperatures, which have gotten as low as 2 degrees. 

Foxes would prefer to be out in the warmer part of each day than out in the middle of the night.  This increases the chances of getting red foxes on camera in the daytime as well.

Woolly Bear Predictions

They say that you can predict the harshness of the upcoming winter by looking at the brown and black bands on a woolly bear.

Which of these woolly bears am I supposed to believe though?

I took these a few days ago in Leesburg, Va. 

 

To me, this critters aren't any sort of reliable weather predicting source.

 

The talk around Loudoun and Fairfax Counties has been snow for the past few days.  We haven't had any yet this season, but it is supposedly in the forecast for next week.

Nobody knows for certain of course.

If it does snow, camera-trapping will still continue.  There's no doubt about that.