This winter I observed a fox dash out from behind our fence and leaping  into 
the air just miss a dove.  Last week I used the bell from a  broken feeder 
(just like the one in the painted bunting photos, but with the  basket broken 
off) to make suet feeder, attaching a wire basket and hanging it  from a cable 
strung across the yard.
Today a squirrel was finally able to hang by its back feet and just grab  the 
basket.  As it was gnawing at the wire a fox bound out from the same  spot 
and just missed the squirrel with a huge, snapping leap.  I watched  for 15 
minutes the rodent pressed up against the underside of the dome and the  fox stood 
and paced underneath.  Unfortunately, I had to leave before the  standoff 
ended.  CSI of the area this afternoon revealed no fur or  blood beneath the 
feeder, but hopefully the fox isn't telling his friends that  the squirrel was 
probably sour anyway.
 
Apology to Aesop,
Tom Beal
Glenn Dale, MD



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