wildlife in my backyard

Kandi and I go for a hike most mornings. There is a hill nearby that
is too steep to develop. Cows graze on the lower, flatter areas. This
is interconnected with other wild areas. So even though it is in town,
it is good wildlife habitat. It is all grassland and rock. There are
no trees since it is serpentine soil, is windy and gets little rain.

There are lots of birds of prey around there: red-tailed hawks, turkey
vultures, kites, and others I can't name. I saw an owl once. I saw a
buck deer. We smell skunks sometimes. Last winter one morning before
the sun rose, we saw coyotes on the hill.

A couple weeks ago, I saw a fox family, apparently a mother and father
and a juvenile. Their tails are so fluffy. I was walking our 2 dogs
(they aren't MY dogs, but that's another story), so I tried to get my
dogs out of there so as to not disturb the foxes. Over the next few
days, I saw the juvenile repeatedly. It makes a strange sound, which I
first thought was a bird, perhaps a bird in distress. But then I saw
the fox making the sound. The fox seemed to be luring my dogs to it,
maybe to play. I thought my dog would get eaten, but nothing happened.

I am so fortunate that there is a wild place within easy walking
distance from my house.