Fox Sighting

It was cold but beautiful when we set out for our walk yesterday.  We planned to go up to Chautauqua park and see the Flatirons in the snow and then walk back down and around through the neighborhood to home.  The Flatirons were, indeed, very beautiful. 

The sky was amazing with a mix of clouds and sunshine that was stunning.   It was so beautiful and enticing that we changed plans and decided to go up into the park.   The sky pulled us like a magnet up, up, up the long hill, drawing us closer and closer to the Flatirons.

As we approached Bluebell shelter I saw a large dark animal up ahead.  I thought it was a dog running off leash, but we watched for a bit and no master (or, as they say around here, "guardian") appeared, so I thought that perhaps it was a coyote.   But it's body appeared too low slung and it had a very furry long tail.  As we watched we decided that it was a fox.   It seemed to me that it was hunting, with his nose to the ground and clearly checking around for something.  There weren't so many people on the trails with the snow and the holiday, so it may have felt comfortable being out and about.

 We decided to turn towards Boulder and cross the Bluebell mesa to join the main trail downhill, keeping a eye out for the fox as we hiked.  He crossed the meadow in front of us was moving along the hillside, so we got a good look at him for a while.  Can you see him in this photo?

Here's a closer view.

I was excited to see him, especially since he looked so well fed and moved so easily.   The few times I've seen foxes here they've usually looked mangy and sick.  So it was a real pleasure to see a healthy, lively fox doing his thing out in the cold but sunny afternoon.   It was a good reminder that we aren't the only creatures who enjoy the park.