Looking for birds at our local metroparks always brings some unexpected surprises.
A rustling in the fallen leaf debris could mean a squirrel.
Or a skunk. Or an opossum.
Or a foraging Kentucky Warbler.
During the day, you don’t expect to find a nocturnal animal like a fox in an open field near the edge of the woods.
But that’s exactly what I found at the metropark, in the mid-afternoon while searching for warblers.
Along the side of the paved road, where the open field gives way to the woods, I found a reddish fox moving slowly towards the woods.
First time I’ve seen a fox at a southeast Michigan metropark!
I stopped at the nature center on my way out of the park to tell park staff about the fox sighting.
They were also surprised I saw one during the day. I learned foxes can be found throughout the year at the park.
What I don’t know is whether this is a red fox or gray fox.
I learned a gray fox can be red. And a red fox can be gray.
So color alone is not an indicator of which fox I saw.
One feature that helps you tell a gray fox from a red fox is the tip of the tail.
A red fox has a white-tipped tail, while a gray fox has a black-tipped tail.
Checking my photos, the tip of the tail is partially hidden by the green grass.
Though I believe I see some black near the end.
For any of my readers who know foxes, I hope you’ll let me know which fox I saw.
