Reading outside late this morning, I occasionally glanced toward the bird feeding area where fox squirrels also forage for seed. Just before heading indoors, I witnessed a near death event as our resident red fox suddenly attacked from a shrub line, chasing one of the squirrels and briefly pinning him by the tail.
Fortunately, for the squirrel, the fox lost his grip and the agile target scampered up a nearby tree. Trotting away, the fox settled back in the shrubs where he endured scolding by a posse of blue jays and magpies. On the positive side, for the fox, he appeared to be in better condition than the last time I saw him and I am now more convinced that he will survive the winter (while keeping our cottontail, squirrel, vole and mice populations in check).
It is not often that we have the opportunity to witness such an attack, especially near mid-day, and we are acutely reminded that sudden death is a regular event in the natural world. Of course, we are also subject to an unexpected demise, something we prefer not to dwell on.
