As I reported in the original post, A Red Fox Returns, published in August of 2020, the presence or absence of red fox on our Littleton farm has a significant impact on the cottontail population (and I suspect on the number of mice and voles as well). Indeed, for the past six months or so, fox have been absent and the rabbits have returned, kept in check only by hawks and owls.
Late yesterday morning, a red fox sauntered across the back of our property, nose to the ground. Since he or she had not yet grown a thick winter coat, our new resident or visitor looked like a juvenile; on the other hand, following a long, hot summer, one might expect such a svelte appearance. Whether it is our long term female resident or a young adventurer, its decision to stay on the farm will spell trouble for the cottontails and other prey species.
One of the benefits of owning a sizable piece of property (if only three acres) is the opportunity to observe the interaction of wild residents and visitors over time, including the arrival of unexpected species. While a balance is generally maintained in large ecosystems, smaller sanctuaries highlight the population gyrations that relate directly to the availability of food sources (whether vegetative or animal).
