Early yesterday morning the ravens were carrying on, so I got up to check the yard, and sure enough, there was the fox after a 10-day absence.

His winter coat is filling in, and his face has that Akita look to it.
October 13, 2012:



Here are picture of him taken in other parts of the year:

Full winter coat: April 2012



Early May: still a full coat.



End of May, his under coat is thinning, leaving the outer coat of guard hairs.



August. His tail is really diminished, and you can see the fur close to his skin.



September. Winter coat completely gone, but his tail is starting to fill in again. He looks like a very young fox





This is the fox early in October last year.





And this was yesterday.



We are still seeing the seasons coming early, and I think his coat is filling in earlier this year.