Reading in bed last night, I heard an animal scream — repeatedly. The sound came from the “croquet court” or the area between the house and shed #1. I could not see anything from the window, and when I heard the sounds again they came from way back in the woods. I was pretty sure the sound was that of a red fox.

This afternoon I had the wit to check the snow that has not melted in that croquet court. Sure enough; there were red fox footprints — cat paw like marks all in a line. I liberated this image from the web. And here’s a recording from YouTube; only the first few seconds apply.

This is the first evidence of red fox in years. It almost makes up for the loss of both bee hives this winter.