With the Cuddeback camera, every morning seems like Christmas..I can hardly wait to see what I have! Last night's photos: 2-23-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 9:26 p.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Pond trail, young male Red Fox, 1:21 a.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 5:31 a.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail I took photos of the jumble of tracks in front of the Cuddeback camera to establish the genders of the foxes in the photos 2-24-09, mixed fox tracks; Round-toed Gray Fox below, triangular Red Fox tracks above From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Red Fox tracks, showing slight inner step with hind foot, showing him to be a young male (male's shoulders are wider than female's, so the hind foot, which lands on top of the front foot track, tracks slightly to the inside) From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat 2-24-09, female Gray Fox tracks, showing hind foot stepping slightly to the outside to account for wider hips From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat The young female coyote's tracks came down the hill behind the horse shed by the kitchen, then trotted up the pond trail to the first corner before cutting off through the woods. I followed the male Red Fox's tracks further down the logging road until the young female coyote's tracks reappeared on the logging road further back on our property. A male coyote's tracks from the day before came down the hill and onto the logging road at a track "intersection"-another great spot for a Cuddeback camera. I followed the female coyote's tracks until she turned off the trail, straight down the hill, then I circled my land and found where she crossed a log high above the creek gully onto the property in the first place. From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat then went up the hill where she must have circled around to come out by our kitchen From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat I even slithered down a steep, snowy hillside, hanging onto shrubs high above the creek, carrying my expensive camera, to investigate a den in the side of the mountain, but only a squirrel's tracks were near the entrance. For three hours I tramped around our property writing down track and stride measurements, taking hundreds of track photos, etc. I'm really nosy like that; I told DuBois that if the animals were humans they'd have a restraining order on me for stalking and photographing them. To get back on the forum subject (I really should find a wildlife forum for these photos)-despite 17 degrees this morning, the Red-Shouldered Hawk is yelping again to declare his territory, Cardinals have started their "cheer, cheer!"s, Titmice have begun their "Peter-peters" and even the Carolina Chickadees are doing "see-bee, see bay"s now. So, ready or not, spring is coming

Yes, most likely mange, either demodectic or sarcoptic, but there are other possibilities, particularly since mange can be very difficult to identify just by looking at the skin. A skin scraping is needed for a positive ID on mange. Severe flea infestation can also bring on skin problems such as dermatitis which is another possibility. A third, and less likely possibility, is skin problems from poor diet or food allergies. Thyroid problems can also cause skin disorders that resemble your photo. Without running blood tests, such as a T-4 or general health profile, or taking a skin scraping to look for mange mites, it is very difficult to tell from just looking at a photo exactly what it is. However, the bottom line is that it needs help to survive, especially since it already seems to be affecting the eyes, which is essential for survival in the wild. Kt

Another Hudson Valley-ite here. We live in southern Dutchess County and have coyotes. I just happened across this post and thought "Holy Cow!" because I went to let my Pug, Tootie, out Saturday and noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A coyote was standing in our driveway, about 50' from us. I scooped the dog up and went inside. When I went back outside, the coyote was crossing into the woods. I figure he was tracking the scent of deer, because he seemed to be following the path the deer use when they cross our driveway before going into the woods. Needless to say, we don't let Tootie out by herself, and our cats are strictly indoors.

Hi, it's mid-september in massachusetts and I heard a weird sound in the forest beyond our backyard. At first I thought it was a person whistling and then I realized it's an animal of some sort. My first thought was a bird that I hadn't heard before or an animal that seldom makes sounds in my barkyard. I've seen the following in the backyard before: skunks, possum, deer, red fox, coyote, all types of birds, i've heard an owl, raccoon, turkeys. I've listened to clips of these on the internet but nothing seems really close. Any ideas? I made the recording in the link i'm attaching, the sounds are around :05 and :34 link. It almost starts as as low growl and turns into a whistle. Thanks for any help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae27GaMHL5c