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I've been unable to venture out much since April 2nd so it really felt good to get out for a walk in nature again.

Flowers everywhere! Bluebells by the millions, a few frogs, a turtle, and just about every spring flower we have here is showing off.

I happened to like to scan the trees while I walk 'cause you never know what you might find. Today was no exception, but I don't even know how I spotted this. In fact I wasn't sure if it were even anything until I zoomed in on it and could see the fur. You know the old saying, trees don't grow fur.

Being totally honest I don't know for sure what it is. At first I though a raccoon but then I thought a fox.... yes foxes can and do climb trees. What even it was having us crashing about on the trail didn't even cause a stir. A herd of kids going by that would have woken the dead, nothing........ So what do you think it is and why?
From the other side.
Way up in the tree.
We will never know for sure but people love a mystery.

Ed

Looking at the fur and the ears it would be my guess it is a coon.

Watch out! Animals with masks are dangerous!

Really, I've had a few ferrets, and a young
raccoon. Raccoons are quite fun, if you
catch them as a youngster. Warning, they
have FOUR hands! But, they're quite cute.

steve

I enlarged the second photo and cranked up the brightness. I can see both ears and the forehead. No mask. It looks like the animal is curled up with its snout tucked into/under its tail. The tail looks bushy to me and has no rings.

Although I am not super confident, I'd rule out racoon because of the lack of a mask or rings. I think it is a gray or red fox. That curled up pose is classic canine. The fur in the first pic looks gray. The second pic shows fur with more of a hint of red. Legs aren't visible and would give the answer since red foxes have black socks.

I only recently learned that both gray and red foxes will climb trees, but only gray foxes have curved nails/claws that will allow them to grip and climb a tree that is really vertical. Red foxes generally can only climb trees that are leaning. The tree in the pic is leaning, so it could be either.

I can't believe you spotted that, Ed.

I certainly never knew that fox could climb trees.

Al, in all the pics of red fox that I could find, they have black on the back side of their ears. Ed's little friend doesn't, so he must be a gray fox.
Also, the link below states "The gray fox is easily distinguished from the red fox by a mane of short, stiff black hairs along the back leading to a bushy, black-tipped tail." The black "mane" can be seen clearly in one of Ed's photos.

https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/gray-fox.htm

BuckeyeDennis wrote:I certainly never knew that fox could climb trees.

Al, in all the pics of red fox that I could find, they have black on the back side of their ears. Ed's little friend doesn't, so he must be a gray fox.

IMG_0785.JPG
Also, the link below states "The gray fox is easily distinguished from the red fox by a mane of short, stiff black hairs along the back leading to a bushy, black-tipped tail." The black "mane" can be seen clearly in one of Ed's photos.

https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/gray-fox.htm

Forgot about the red fox having black on the back of its ears. Good point!

We have had fox in our suburban neighborhood for as long as I have lived here (17 plus years). Mostly I just see their tracks in the snow. But earlier this spring I walked out my rear door and standing next to my shed was a beautiful red fox.

It could be a gray , I have never seen one go that high in a tree before though.

The black stripe on its back in the first picture sure looks like a masked friend .

Hobbyman2 wrote:20170421_083721.jpg


It could be a gray , I have never seen one go that high in a tree before though.

The black stripe on its back in the first picture sure looks like a masked friend .

They are much prettier in their natural habitat.

I find that to be very true in my older days !!

At one time trapping kept my family fed .

Now I just like watching them .