Nature Throws a Curve.....

- Update.....The Holly tree near the office now has no berries.....The Waxwings finally win the turf war...I wonder where these winged nomads could be today?

- At dawn this morning I heard a Whippoorwill just outside my window....Quite unusual...as these mostly nocturnal avia usually only sound off at dusk......

- Warm and rainy today in southeast Tennessee. Cooler, drier air is forecast to be on the way. Next week looks delightful. If the forecast holds true....sounds like a good time for a long hike to enjoy the clear mountain air, the noisy waterfalls, the Mountain Laurel (blooming now) and the Flame Azalea (starting to bloom).

- From time to time, we hear stories of nature that, without tangible proof, we simply pass off as "Oh sure"....Well, here is one with tangible proof...courtesy of our residents Frank and Joanne Kahoun.

- Starting back in the early spring, I began to receive sporadic reports of a mysterious animal. Reports varied slightly by the eyes observing, but all the reports had a few common characteristics.....the animal was definitely 'wild', it was 'dog-like' and it was black.

- The animal was seen infrequently...near some of the more undeveloped areas of our 'nature preserve'. After hearing a few of the reports, on multiple occasions, I hid in the flora with a camera, hoping to get a glimpse of this 'Black Fox'.

- March turned into April and the reports became less...and then nothing for many days.

- Last week, I received an e-mail from the Kahouns with the attached photographs. Finally!

- They had heard some of the neighbors talking and Frank thought that I, a naturalist always interested in a good story, should be aware of his photographs. And they were correct...A big thank you to the Kahouns....for the great photographs of such a shy and furtive creature, and for their love of nature...which seems to be a common bond of many of our residents.

- It seems they had seen this 'fox' on several occasions....the last being near the first of April when they observed the canid walking across the corner of their lot, highlighted even more by a very unusual light April snowfall. They explained to me the behavior of the animal, which included the 'jump and pounce' technique of hunting....the tactic used by foxes and coyotes when trying to stimulate a small mammal to bolt from its hiding place in the grass. In our area, these small mammals are almost always Meadow Voles and White-Footed Mice.

- Exactly what is this animal? Good question. Vulpes? Canis? Hybrid? The mystery continues.....or does it?