Day 232: After putting in an unscheduled two hours at work today following our Division's annual group photo, I came home, changed out of my uniform and then headed back up the hill to do some photography of my own. The Mountain has a way of delivering the unexpected, and I was delighted to find one of our overly habituated foxes (Vulpes vulpes cascadensis) at an overlook. I was disappointed that she seemed to prefer pavement to snow, and after taking several shots, I moved on, taking note that she was not radio-collared. I drove on up to Reflection Lake and on my way back, I spotted a second vixen, much blonder than the first. Her radio collar was quite obvious, and once she'd figured out that she was going to get no treats from me, she strolled off into the forest, giving me the perfect opportunity for this "habitat" photo. If you look closely, you can see the black transmitter under her neck ruff. For more information on the project, read the official story:
Fox Research - Mount Rainier National Park
OK......so why are they radio collaring FOXES? We have seen several over the years in the gully where we exercise.....not this winter tho....but no collars here
ReplyDeleteFoxes used to be quite elusive in Mount Rainier National Park and you seldom saw one, but now they are becoming much more prevalent. We're trying to figure out why. There are a couple of theories, most of which involve human contact. We're tracking them in order to document their range and habits.
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