Gray Fox sighting on an otherwise "slow" weekend

This past weekend was cool and very windy. As such, I was more motivated to do some chores around the cabin rather than going for a hike.  This is quite unusual, but in the end felt good about getting some things in order.

A major task was dealing with the downed dead trees. (from posts a while back) It was time to deal with the huge piles of small branches with the brown needles.  Did a lot "barrel" burning of these small branches with a screened lid, but have much more to do.

So a slow weekend but this place never ceases to provide at least one interesting sighting or event per trip.

As I happened to look out the cabin window around 1:30 pm on Saturday, I saw some movement and then got a great view of an animal not 30 feet away. It scampered about up and around the rocks of the small ridge just off the south side of the cabin.  I thought it a fox but noticed a black "stripe" on the bushy tail. A good 30 second or so look seemed to be enough to identify it. An immediate visit to my reference book clearly showed that it was a gray fox.  The absolute certainty came from what the book called a "black mane" on the tail.

Later that evening, as darkness was approaching, we were visited by this new found friend again.

It is a goal of mine to learn as much as I can about what I observe in this great place. As this was my first ever sighting of a Gray Fox, a little research was in order.

Below are Gray Fox facts which I found to be the most interesting:

The Gray Fox:
A member of the dog family
The only member of the dog family who regularly climbs trees!!, They do this in search of food or to escape its enemies, one of which is the Red Fox.
It is smaller than a Coyote and is 30 to 45 inches long (I would guess the one I saw was on the very small side)
They eat small rodents, but also eat rabbits, eggs, insects, birds, fruits, acorns and berries (I wonder if they eat pinyon nuts??)
They can run up to 28 mph.
They often create dens in tree hollows or "nests" which may be 30 feet off the ground. They also may dig out a den in areas which may be as much as 75 feet long with many exits and numerous chambers for food storage and transfer of young when one area becomes soiled.
They can hunt in day or night and are crepuscular (new word for me, try saying that a few times quickly after a glass or two of wine or beer or even water!)

cre·pus·cu·lar  krəˈpəskyələr
adjective
adjective crepuscular
of, resembling, or relating to twilight.
(of an animal) appearing or active in twilight.  (Google Dictionary)

GREAT PIC OF GRAY FOX

My references and for further reading can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_fox
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/grayfox.htm
http://www.desertusa.com/animals/gray-fox.html
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grey_fox.htm
http://tracker.cci.fsu.edu/greyfox/about/where/
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=MA0019