While We Sleep, the night visitors arrive

Every evening, something remarkable happens that most of us never see. The porch lights go dark. The televisions grow quiet. Cars disappear from the streets. We lock our doors, climb into bed, and believe the day has ended. But for another community, the day is just beginning.

Over the past year, our wildlife camera has quietly documented some of our nighttime visitors. Among my favorites are the little gray foxes that slip silently into our backyard under the cover of darkness. Unlike the larger red fox, gray foxes are surprisingly petite. They move almost like cats, placing each foot carefully as they search for insects, rodents, fallen fruit, berries, or whatever else nature provides that evening. They rarely waste energy, rarely make unnecessary noise, and seem perfectly content living lives that most people never realize exist.

One of their favorite stops appears to be a tree in our backyard. I’ve started thinking of it as their “point-of-entry tree.” Whether they’re using it as a landmark, checking for scents left behind by another fox, or simply passing through on their nightly patrol, they almost always pause there before continuing on their journey. Watching these photographs is a reminder that our homes overlap with theirs.

We often think of wildlife as living somewhere far from neighborhoods and backyards. Yet every night these little foxes remind me that they have been here all along. They choose different hours than we do.