There are a few dependable species of wildlife I find in the preserve. Most of them are birds. There's a family of Eastern towhees, some mockingbirds, a brown thrasher and some Carolina wrens here in summer. The rest of the time it's whatever the migration winds bring, from cedar waxwings and pine warblers to a whip-poor-will or bald eagle. Last night I saw chimney swifts.
There is also a grey fox. It is half -hidden by the palmettos in the image above. I think there is only one, but I can't be sure. I see it usually in the same area of the south tract. When I was cutting a trail it barked at me. Yesterday when I was picking up Sand Skink cover boards I flushed it from wherever it was resting in the palmettos. It stood about 50 feet away and looked at me warily. I said hello and moved on. Maybe we undersand each other and will continue to keep our distance.
I wonder if the fox is responsible for all of the holes I see in that section. They aren't hog rooting disturbances, they are intentional digging at scattered locations. It is very odd. I wonder if the drought has made it harder to find food and something is desperate. I wonder if that's the reason some of the boards were overturned. It's a mystery.
