I thought that other Saugonians may find my recent experiences with foxes in Saugus interesting. Many perhaps don't even realize that we have any foxes in Saugus, but I can testify that they can be found not only in Saugus but more specifically in my yard.
I've not bothered to do too much yard work as of late. It's really hard to get enthused about yard work when the space just beyond one's yard is all torn up after literally years of blasting and construction and looks like a quarry suitable for filming an old-school Doctor Who episode. Anyhow, after just a couple months of fairly heavy rain sans mowing, the yard has become well-suited to foxes and it appears a family with five kits has moved into a pile of rubble and underbrush that the developers left behind.
Early morning is playtime, and this morning my wife was quick enough to bring me a camera while we watched them, and I got a few pictures of the kits playing. The pictures are far from ideal as the foxes weren't interested only in playing and not in getting their pictures taken. Still, I was surprised that I was able to get the screen of the window open to take pictures with the kits just a few yards away.
They behave a lot like young human children and many of their games are quicky recognizable. One amusing antic (which never grows old) features a hidden fox doing a four-legged vertical leap with the goal of startling and/or tackling a sibling or two. We watched them play for quite awhile this morning and although their mother herded them away when my twenty-month old daughter started frantically waving and saying "hi!" to them, they were back after a fairly short time to resume their games. It'll be interesting to see if they'll return tomorrow morning.