March 30, 2015
Blanford’s Fox: Yet Another Species
Little is known about Blanford’s Fox (vulpes cana), a mini-fox that lives in the mountainous deserts and steep, rocky slopes of the United Arab Emirates, parts of Iran, and Afghanistan. The secretive, rarely-seen animal was recently photographed by a motion-sensitive camera—the first photo of this fox in its natural, mountain habitat in the UAE. Blanford’s fox seems to be a textbook example of a creature shaped over time by natural selection. Weighing between 0.8 to 1.5kg, they are characterized by their diminutive size and spectacular ears. Said to be the world’s second smallest fox, those magnificent ears play an important role in their ability to withstand the heat of the area by providing a large area from which body heat is radiated, thus cooling the little fellows. The species are excellent tree-climbers, having sharp, curved claws and hairless pads for traction. Their long, bushy tails serve as a counterbalance when negotiating tree limbs. Their diet consists of insects, small mammals, and fruit, the high water content of which enables the fox to survive for days at a time without water. Blanford’s Foxes are monogamous, taking only one partner during their lifetime. The vixen gives birth to one to three cubs, usually in March or April. Click for more details in Naser Al Wasmi’s article in The National (UAE). Posted March 30, 2015
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Suspension
Snow on the ground or falling from the sky, no matter. The Golden’s Bridge Hounds (NY) and huntsman Codie Hayes are determined to keep coyotes on the move until the very last day in March. This coyote, writes photographer Jim Duggan, “kept circling as usual at this time of year with the mate and pups located somewhere on this fixture. Otherwise, I’m sure he would have taken the usual straight line away from the field. He got away with a zig and a zag, plus the help of snow falling and winds gusting to thirty-five mph. I sat at my spot overlooking an open field where I have had a few good shots in the past. Immobility and two hours of weather finally go to me, and I went back to the car. Found that my camera’s sun shade fell off, and had to drive back to my spot. Found the shade and then heard the hounds giving voice, coming in my direction. Ran back and got the camera just in time. Sometime you just have a little mazzol (luck), with a little experience.” Posted March 30, 2015
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Mark McManus: Huntsman and Mentor
Mark McManus is the new huntsman at the Chagrin Valley Hunt (OH).
When a huntsman retires after a long and successful career hunting hounds for a respected hunting establishment, that vacuum creates a ripple effect throughout the hunting community. So it was when Larry Pitts retired after thirty-five seasons hunting hounds at the Potomac Hunt (MD). Pitts’s vacancy was filled by huntsman Brian Kiely from the Myopia Hunt (MA); the void at Myopia was filled by huntsman Philip Headdon from the Chagrin Valley Hunt (OH); and the Chagrin Valley opening will be filled this season by huntsman Mark McManus from the Ottawa Valley Hunt (ON).
During his time at Ottawa Valley, McManus definitely left his mark (pun intended). OVH Master Anne McKibbin lets sixteen-year-old whipper-in Carmen Powell-Sadik tell us how.
Mark is an enjoyable person to be around, with many a good story to tell depicting various scenes of humor and horror taken from an exciting and sometimes perilous life of foxhunting in his native Ireland. He remembers times of his childhood riding with his baby brother “sat in me lap” as he (much to his father’s chagrin) jumped the hedges!
