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coldrain108
Thundering Herd
Joined: 05 Aug 2010
Posts: 1838 | TRs | Pics
Location: somewhere over the rainbow |
We have a hot tub in our back yard so we spend a bit of time out there in the dark (no bathing suits). Many times we see owls cruising through. Had one sit on our wisteria arbor and watch us for a while. Luckily our cat is 18lbs, so a bit large to be prey.
I hear them who-whoing quite frequently.
We also have a pair of Falcons that have been living in the neighborhood for several years now. I hear their calls all the time and have seen them many times. We are on the main Crow route, at just about sunset we get a huge crowd of them flying over on their way to Bothell - like clock work they are. Occasionally they come in really low and make a huge racket. My band was playing out in the yard during the summer when they went over and several of them stopped to check us out...
it's the same story the crow told me,
it's the only one he knows
Like the morning sun you come
and like the wind you go.
Ain't no time to hate
barely time to wait
wo-ho what I want to know
where does the time go?
Since I have no expectations of forgiveness, I don't do it in the first place. That loop hole needs to be closed to everyone.
Since I have no expectations of forgiveness, I don't do it in the first place. That loop hole needs to be closed to everyone.
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pianodirt
Member
Joined: 22 Oct 2003
Posts: 206 | TRs | Pics
Location: glenoid fossa |
Strangest one I've seen so far. A fox in the ALW. I was standing there at camp one morning, drinking my hot cuppa and it walked up within 15 feet of me. It seemed awfully tame, so perhaps it has been eating off of other hiker's trash or something, or someone had been feeding it. It slowly wandered off. I have a photo somewhere but God knows where I've put it, lol. I had also seen it the night before, at dusk. I first thought it was deer, then a coyote, then a dog, then could see it a bit better a realized it was a fox.
I'd never seen fox in WA state before, but have seen several in Maine, including one in a residential area in Portland, ME.
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kitya
Fortune Cookie
Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Posts: 832 | TRs | Pics
Location: Duvall, WA |
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kitya
Fortune Cookie
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 Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:05 pm |
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| pianodirt wrote: | | Strangest one I've seen so far. A fox in the ALW. I was standing there at camp one morning, drinking my hot cuppa and it walked up within 15 feet of me. It seemed awfully tame, so perhaps it has been eating off of other hiker's trash or something, or someone had been feeding it. It slowly wandered off. I have a photo somewhere but God knows where I've put it, lol. I had also seen it the night before, at dusk. I first thought it was deer, then a coyote, then a dog, then could see it a bit better a realized it was a fox.
I'd never seen fox in WA state before, but have seen several in Maine, including one in a residential area in Portland, ME. |
This is pretty cool! Washington state does have some population of native foxes and they are not hard to see, because foxes do habituate to humans all the time. There is at least one (maybe more) fox that has been known to hang out in the Paradise parking lot of the Mount Rainier national park and look for people to give her food. This fox is probably the most photographed fox in the state!
But normally all native foxes occur in the south cascades, not in the ALW. You should submit your observation to the state here - https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/vulpes-vulpes-cascadensis#conservation, up to know there was only one sighting of the fox ever reported north of I-90 - near Stevens Pass. Perhaps with wildlife bridge finally available, there will be some chance for more foxes to move north.
We also have a bunch of not native foxes who are decedents of fox farming, sadly this was a big industry once, there is a now defunct fox farm near Leavenworth. San Juan isalnd has a population of introduced foxes who are very fun to watch too:
 zimmertr
zimmertr |
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coldrain108
Thundering Herd
Joined: 05 Aug 2010
Posts: 1838 | TRs | Pics
Location: somewhere over the rainbow |
| kitya wrote: | | Paradise parking lot |
I think it is Sunrise that has a fox population. I've seen a black fox with a white tipped tail there a few times.
Back in Connecticut they are everywhere, red foxes.
Actually there was a fox living on Queen Anne hill back when I lived there (1991-94). I saw it frequently at various locations on the hill.
Since I have no expectations of forgiveness, I don't do it in the first place. That loop hole needs to be closed to everyone.
Since I have no expectations of forgiveness, I don't do it in the first place. That loop hole needs to be closed to everyone.
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
Joined: 24 Jun 2018
Posts: 878 | TRs | Pics
Location: Newcastle |
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
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Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:51 pm |
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I saw a fox once leaving Paradise. At approximately 46.778845, -121.732579.
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kitya
Fortune Cookie
Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Posts: 832 | TRs | Pics
Location: Duvall, WA |
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kitya
Fortune Cookie
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Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:59 pm |
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| zimmertr wrote: | | I saw a fox once leaving Paradise. At approximately 46.778845, -121.732579. |
geotagging foxes?  )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
 zimmertr
zimmertr |
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pianodirt
Member
Joined: 22 Oct 2003
Posts: 206 | TRs | Pics
Location: glenoid fossa |
| kitya wrote: | | This is pretty cool! Washington state does have some population of native foxes and they are not hard to see, because foxes do habituate to humans all the time. There is at least one (maybe more) fox that has been known to hang out in the Paradise parking lot of the Mount Rainier national park and look for people to give her food. This fox is probably the most photographed fox in the state!
But normally all native foxes occur in the south cascades, not in the ALW. You should submit your observation to the state here - https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/vulpes-vulpes-cascadensis#conservation, up to know there was only one sighting of the fox ever reported north of I-90 - near Stevens Pass. Perhaps with wildlife bridge finally available, there will be some chance for more foxes to move north.
We also have a bunch of not native foxes who are decedents of fox farming, sadly this was a big industry once, there is a now defunct fox farm near Leavenworth. San Juan isalnd has a population of introduced foxes who are very fun to watch too |
Yes, this was near Leavenworth that I saw it, so I'd guess it was one of the non-native ones. Didn't know there used to be a fox farm there. Anyways, thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge about foxes. If I end up finding the photos, I'll make a report to the link you posted.
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olderthanIusedtobe
Member
Joined: 05 Sep 2011
Posts: 7549 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline |
Years ago, but 2 separate occasions I saw a fox skittering thru one of the big parking lots around Paradise right around dusk. Didn't appear to be habituated to people but seemed like it was doing a daily check to see if there were tidbits of food around.
Another time more recently was driving back down from Paradise, mid afternoon probably. Late spring or early summer, still plenty of snow on the side of the road. Saw something on the snowbank right beside the road. Slowed down, it was a darkly colored fox curled up laying there. Then I saw movement around its belly. It was a kit and she was nursing! I stopped to watch just for a few moments. Mama looked right at me, but stayed where she was. At the risk of anthropomorphizing an animal, I swear the look on her face was pure motherly pride.
Saw a fox hanging out w/ free range cows on the side of the road somewhere in Montana, was probably waiting for all those big beasties to startle some rodents.
Dispersed car camping just outside of Stanley, ID had a fox wander past my car. Just cruising by.
I don't think it was the same trip, up above Redfish Lake on the way to Bench Lakes there was a fox coming down the trail toward me. We had a bit of a standoff. It sat on its haunches for a bit. Then it detoured maybe 10 feet off the trail and went by me and continued on its way.
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the1mitch
Member
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 256 | TRs | Pics
Location: Snohomish |
When snow camping with my boys near Grace Lakes (Stevens Pass) a few years ago we had a red fox walk right thru our camp. It sniffed our gear and bounced away. This was at about 4300 feet and 4 feet of snow. The kids and I were amazed and I haven't seen one in Washington since.
illegitimi non carborundum!
illegitimi non carborundum!
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Now I Fly
Member
Joined: 07 Jun 2018
Posts: 226 | TRs | Pics
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 The Fox.
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Sculpin
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Joined: 23 Apr 2015
Posts: 1228 | TRs | Pics
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Sculpin
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Sun Nov 07, 2021 8:02 am |
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Foxes came up on a different thread as well. I saw a pair of foxes raiding hiker's camps, including mine, when I was camped at Chain Lakes near Stevens Pass. One even dropped a nugget right in my cooking area. The first one I saw was mostly black with a ridiculous white bob on the end of the tail. When I first saw it in near darkness I thought it was someone's standard poodle with a bobbed tail. I suspect they come in every night so if you want to see a fox you can do it there.
Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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Exmoor
Member
Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 72 | TRs | Pics
Location: Snohomish |
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Exmoor
Member
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Sun Nov 07, 2021 12:14 pm |
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| Now I Fly wrote: | | Also, I remember camping at Torment Col and having a Great Blue Heron fly just over the ridge. Seemed really out of place. |
I can't say I've seen many (or any) herons deep in the mountains, which is kind of interesting given that there's a lot of "easy" food up there between the fish, amphibians and mammals.
You reminded me that I saw a Common Loon fly over Evergreen Mountain this fall. Very odd to see one flying at almost 6000ft, but I suppose when you consider that this species mostly winters in saltwater and breeds in inland lakes then they all likely migrate over the mountains twice each year.
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Bowregard
Member
Joined: 05 Feb 2019
Posts: 437 | TRs | Pics
Location: Sammamish |
Ever watch one "take off" from the surface of a lake? Every time I have seen it I thought for sure the bird would never take flight. I wonder if they could take off from 6000ft.
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Trailhead
PCT Class of 2012
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Posts: 441 | TRs | Pics
Location: PDX |
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Trailhead
PCT Class of 2012
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Sun Nov 07, 2021 2:47 pm |
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| coldrain108 wrote: | | kitya wrote: | | Paradise parking lot |
I think it is Sunrise that has a fox population. |
🙄
Not sure about Sunrise but Paradise definitely has them.
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Exmoor
Member
Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 72 | TRs | Pics
Location: Snohomish |
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Exmoor
Member
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Sun Nov 07, 2021 8:33 pm |
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| Bowregard wrote: | | Ever watch one "take off" from the surface of a lake? Every time I have seen it I thought for sure the bird would never take flight. I wonder if they could take off from 6000ft. |
Yes, it's quite the ordeal for them to get up in the air. Like a lot of diving birds they appear to be built with flight as almost an afterthought. For those who haven't seen it here's an example video:
Your question intrigued me, but I think I can answer definitively. Using eBird I can see there's quite a few records of Loons likely breeding up to lakes at 8000ft so it apparently is possible for them to take off at pretty crazy elevations. I know there was a loon that ended up spending the summer at some small lake in the southeast US way out of its breeding range. The speculation was that it landed during migration, but the lake was just too small for it to be able to take off and it ended up stuck.
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