Over the years I have had a passion for photographing lighthouses in Maine and beyond. Please join me on a tour of the Maine lighthouses to which my wife and I have traveled. I will start way down east and take you all the way down the coast to the southern tip of Maine. I will try to include some history as well as directions to a spot from which the lighthouse can be viewed. I hope you enjoy our little journey.
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Monday, December 26, 2011
The Red Fox
Red foxes live around the world in many diverse habitats including forests, grasslands, mountains, and deserts. They also adapt well to human environments such as farms, suburban areas, and even large communities. The red fox's resourcefulness has earned it a legendary reputation for intelligence and cunning.
Red foxes are solitary hunters who feed on rodents, rabbits, birds, and other small game—but their diet can be as flexible as their home habitat. Foxes will eat fruit and vegetables, fish, frogs, and even worms. If living among humans, foxes will opportunistically dine on garbage and pet food.
Like a cat's, the fox's thick tail aids its balance, but it has other uses as well. A fox uses its tail (or "brush") as a warm cover in cold weather and as a signal flag to communicate with other foxes.
Foxes also signal each other by making scent posts—urinating on trees or rocks to announce their presence. The also warn their young of danger by making a shrill bark or call. Clickm on the below link to see a 10 second video demonstration.
In winter, foxes meet to mate. The vixen (female) typically gives birth to a litter of 2 to 12 pups. At birth, red foxes are actually brown or gray. A new red coat usually grows in by the end of the first month, but some red foxes are golden, reddish-brown, silver, or even black. Both parents care for their young through the summer before they are able to strike out on their own in the fall.
Red foxes are hunted for sport, though not extensively, and are sometimes killed as destructive pests or frequent carriers of rabies.
This is very interesting, thank you for sharing! I hope you and your family have a very blessed New Year!
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