A twofer, except they’re both half-assed, no real luck with the video this time, so consider these a teaser until I get better evidence. The video will illustrate it well enough.
So, right after we first moved in, we’d found some fox scat on the driveway, and then not another sign at all, save for a neighbor telling us she’d seen one in the past. When I’m in the upstairs bathroom window watching for the morning activity of the wood ducks, the view down lower, closer to the house, is largely blocked because I stand back from the window so the ducks are less likely to see me. So the grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) appeared rather abruptly on the path leading down to the water’s edge, before I’d even seen any sign of ducks; the camera and microphone were switched off because of this, and the fox didn’t wait around as I was correcting this. Thus the abysmal clip.
[Note: red foxes and grey foxes would be distinguishable by the overall color of their coats, you would think, but this is hardly the case. Both often sport a good mix of red and grey throughout, so the only dependable way to tell them apart is, red foxes have a white tailtip, just like the cartoons, while grey foxes have a black strip that runs down their entire spine and to the tailtip. To date, I believe I have only seen grey foxes anywhere in NC; this is not to say they’re the only species around, only that they’re the one I’ve had the privilege of seeing.]
Also, while it occurred well out of sight a few hundred meters distant, I’m fairly certain the cat squall was only a warning and not the cat falling prey to the fox, though there’s a decent chance it was indeed from an encounter; cats have a distinctive warning cry, different from when they’re injured. Foxes tend to take smaller prey like field mice and small birds, since they’re only marginally bigger than cats to begin with – fluffier, but pretty lean under that coat. Would they take a wood duck? Perhaps, especially since those are smaller and possess no defensive measures. But a nutria, even a small one? Unlikely. A house cat? Also unlikely – house cats are fierce fighters. I wouldn’t rule either out, but foxes really do seek other, easier meals.
As for the wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo,) The Girlfriend was the one that spotted them while I was napping, quickly waking me because of course, and my initial view was of all four collecting on the lawn leading down to the pond’s edge, a near-perfect view. The camera equipment was still tucked away in Deep 13 from an unsuccessful project the day before though, down two flights of stairs, so by the time I arrived and set up, the turkeys had moved along. After the brief clips, I did go down onto the deck, and then down in the yard, to chase frames as they moved on.
Since I was handholding the long lens at this time, I wanted to count on autofocus so I could have a steadier grip without playing with the focus ring (which is, unhelpfully, towards the base of the lens,) but the environment simply wouldn’t allow it and focus went all over the place, so I had to switch to manual. This meant few sharp images, especially when there was virtually no perspective that wasn’t semi-obscured by foliage. Again, proof of their presence, but none of these are going to become prints.
At no time have we lived in an area that didn’t host wild turkeys, but my views of them have been few and far between, and I think I’ve only heard their calls once. Here’s hoping that this is the beginning of their visits, though we’ve had enough one-off species come by that I’m not holding my breath. The camera is staying ready on the tripod, though.