Most Likely a Fox, Right?

17 out of 19 people so far say that this young mammal is a fox.  The other 2 people say a young coyote in its summer coat.  These people are all wildlife biologists, wildlife conservation specialists, or outdoor park managers who have lots of experience with both animals, so I enjoy their input and find it very interesting.

Personally, I've got my money on it being a young fox.  The tail does seem to have darker edges and a dark tip, which is common of a coyote though.  An attempt to persuade me to calling it a coyote was made based on the size and shape of the ears, and how a coyote would be this skinny in summer due to it losing a lot of its winter coat, but I hold my ground and still call it a fox.

Whatever it is, its a skinny one and was captured on camera in Fairfax County, Virginia.  The camera was reset and is still at the exact same spot.

Do you agree with me and say that this animal is a fox? Or do lean towards it being a coyote?

A Warm Winter's New Sets

It's been unseasonably warm this winter in Virginia.  We still have yet to see more than an inch of snow in my area which means the cross country skis are still hung up and animal tracks are still in mud instead of snow.  There is no reason to fret though because this winter has harbored some interesting sights in the natural world  for new places to camera trap.
 Here is a quick overview of some of my newest camera trap sets to look forward to:

1. Dead deer again (I'll call this set, "The Downed Buck"). A different deer has died in the park! I stumbled across this deer only a few days after taking down the cameras at the other deer in the last post  It is also located not even 200 yards from where the other deer's bones lay.  A young buck most likely killed on the road by a car; he is now the centerpiece of two camera's field of views.  I placed a camera trap there and checked it the next day just to see what I got.  Red fox came by and that was it.  I can assume that there will be more foxes, raccoons, feral cats, and domestic dogs around the area.  Will a coyote come by to take a look?
2. Squirrel and Bird Set #1.  Peanut butter and bird seed (both legal bait for birds in Virginia) have been placed to attract squirrels and birds alike.  My fellow employees and I have our fingers crossed that we will get some shots of a flying squirrel, but that could be too much of wishful thinking.
3. River Den Set #1.  A seemingly promising location, this den has four entrances (2 of which are over 1 foot wide) and is only about 5 feet from the bank of the Potomac River in Riverbend Park in Fairfax County.  Fresh scat of a light gray-brown color and containing fish scales was found on a mound a few inches from an entrance.  Could it be the den of an otter, mink, or weasel? Will I get more camera trap images of another fox or raccoon? We'll see some results starting in a week or two.
4. Meadow Set #4.   Deer and raccoons have came by in the first week already.  We're looking specifically for some carnivores here such as red foxes, gray foxes, bobcats, and coyotes.  I set up two cameras (one video, and one set for stills) at this location located on a game trail in Riverbend Park's famous meadow.

I am thrilled to have gotten the cameras up and running in these hopeful locations but I am specifically excited to see the results of the new sets in Riverbend Park (River Den Set #1 and Meadow Set #4).

Some self-proclaimed "exterior decorating"  at  River Den Set #1 in Riverbend Park, Fairfax  County

Deer for Dinner: Food Fights

Even red-tailed hawks couldn't pass up the opportunity to check out some free venison. 

While camera trapping,  I am always on the lookout for new game trails, dens, scrapes or sights, but there is almost nothing more valuable to a camera trapper than a carcass.  Carcasses are a surefire way to see what carnivores are around the area and who is hungry in the woods.

 This deer was no exception. Gray foxes, red foxes, feral cats, hawks, and raccoons all came to pay respects to their lost member of the wild, and to devour her guts.  

The "Food Fights" at this site were intensive standoffs between species.  Fox vs. fox became really interesting with foxes always standing up to bat each other's paws like kittens.  

Feral cat vs. fox even surprised me.  Obviously a fox can easily put a cat in its place, but this cat was persistent to the goal of scoring some food.  The cat and fox circled around the deer for over 3 minutes before lunging at one another.  One lunge was all it took though for the cat to realize it was no match for a dog relative.

Raccoons vs. foxes were quite intense.  Every time there was more than a single raccoon already at the deer,        foxes would take a few extra minutes to sniff out and check the scene more closely.  The two different animals battled at least 4 times in 13 days.

The foxes were victorious in 3 out of the 4 battles.

The dead deer was a productive site with 2 placed cameras and over 3,000 pictures in a period of 2 weeks. It's all skin and bones now but this site is my favorite camera trap site so far.