The Red Foxes of San Juan Island

I saw adult foxes and many young ones, called "kits"

The history of introduced mammals to the San Juan Islands is somewhat murky. I've read accounts that have similar but different timelines for the history of these animals. In any case, Red Foxes are currently an attraction for visitors and residents of San Juan. They are wild animals, but wonderful to see. If you ask islanders where to find the Red Foxes, they will usually answer "anywhere". The little 'kits' are so darn cute. I'll be sharing a number of photos with you and will provide some background, but the pictures should steal all of your attention and focus.

Although the species is called "Red Fox", it comes in a variety of colors besides red including silver, black, and brown. Each of those colors of Red Foxes come with a white tip at the end of their bushy tails. I found one location at the southern end of the island near a residence where there was a family of Red Foxes with at least four kits. I traveled back to that end of the island often in hopes of seeing the foxes.

The young foxes spend most of their day sleeping or waiting for food.

Sometimes the foxes were absent, and sometimes they would be seen spending their time near the road in an open area. Red Foxes are part of the canine family, so their looks and behaviors remind us of dogs. Often, the little ones would play with each other.

This family had two silver/black kits and two red ones.

Again, sleeping or waking up was a regular part of their day

It's always good to stretch when you wake up.

One of their regular passages was over or around this large boulder and into the thick vegetation behind. Sometimes, the large rock provided a resting spot.

Near the street, there was a large hole of some type. The foxes would often explore the inside of the hole. In the photo below, the two dark foxes were playing deep inside the hole while one red kit was watching the action from above.

When one of the black kits surfaced, playtime began.

Rabbits were introduced to San Juan Island by humans as a food source sometime in the early 1900's. Without natural predators on the island, their population grew dramatically. Foxes were then introduced sometime in the early to middle of the 1900's, in part to try to control the rabbit population. While introduced species can cause havoc among native plants and animals, the foxes have become an integral part of San Juan island culture.

Needless to say, watching the foxes was mesmerizing. All of my photos were taken using a telephoto lens and at a distance from the foxes so as not to disturb them. I'm going to be sharing many fox photos with you in a number of posts.