It sounded like a woman screaming deep in the woods. I opened my eyes at 2:00 a.m. and listened. There it was again. “Is something dying out there?” I wondered, thinking a rabbit or a squirrel was being murdered. Then I heard it again, only nearer this time, shrill and desperate sounding.
Eventually, this “cry” came closer until it was right under my bedroom window. I pulled the covers to my chin and trembled. Even though it couldn’t get into the house, it was an eerie, wild sound to be so near, like the scream of the Irish banshee, said to forecast trouble.
Finally, the noise moved back into the woods, and went silent. I fell back to sleep.
For whatever it’s worth, this stuff always happens when my husband Randy is away. He was spending a few nights in the hospital after elbow surgery. So, it was just me and my mom on hand to deal with whatever craziness was going on out there. (Oh, and my usually yappy Yorkie guard dog slept through the whole thing).
The next morning, I was walking past our front window when something caught my eye. I looked to find a red fox slinking around our bushes, no doubt searching for breakfast. Because it was on the slight side, I imagined it to be female. This seemed coincidental that a fox would be around after I heard that strange noise. I looked it up. Sure enough, after listening to a video, that eerie call was from a fox.
Mom had heard it too. I played her the video and she nodded. “Very spooky,” she concurred.
Good God. We just finished coyote mating season, with its warnings about small pets being snatched away by four-legged predators. Now we have fox mating season with its noisy soap operas playing out in the wee hours.
Apparently both male foxes (dogs) and females (vixens) emit that eerie sound. They use it to attract mates and establish territory.
As much of a pain it is being woken in the wee hours, it was amazing to see this beautiful wild creature right outside our window. I had run to get my phone for videotaping, but when I returned, she was gone.
A few years back, a fox had her babies (kits) nestled in a big rock formation in front of our house. Sometimes as we drove up the driveway, the kits would be out playing. I’d open the car window and gently tell them to go back inside. They were so sweet and innocent, but I didn’t like them too close to us. I didn’t want them to trust humans.
Now whenever I hear of any wild animals—bears, bobcats, coyotes— getting too comfortable in “people territory,” I get nervous. Not only for our safety (although I’ve never heard of anyone being attacked by a wild animal in our town), but especially theirs.
I haven’t seen or heard the lady fox since that spooky night, but I hope she found the boyfriend she was searching.
It’s strange to lie there, and realize a whole world exists yards away, a world so alien, and yet so close.
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