Taking care of four little ones is a lot of work for a mom so this pretty lady was catching naps whenever she could. She did this with limited success.

If the kits were in the den, she got some peace and quiet. When they came outside though, they never let her rest for long. Either they wanted to play or they were hungry and she had to head off to find their next meal.

On this evening back in June, she enjoyed some down time but with the sun setting, she knew it was time to go catch dinner. The vixen stretched out to limber up and yawned as she worked on waking up. A mother’s work is never done!

Oh how I miss the many evenings I spent this past spring with these gorgeous creatures. There were actually five kits but this is the closest I came to getting all in one capture – four of them plus mom.

As was the norm, the little ones were rambunctious, exploring and wrestling as the sun started to set. Mom sat and kept close watch on the little ones while enjoying a bit of a break.

It is #FoxFriday and I have to say #TGIF too!

Somehow I haven’t shared this image of my local foxes, one which I like a lot.

Taken back in the middle of May, some kids playing ball near the den meant keeping a watchful eye. The little one was keen on imitating mom’s role as protector and struck a nearly identical pose.

The soft, golden light of the setting sun really made their coats shine.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

Taken back in June and a cute image for #FoxFriday. This darling little one was one of four at the den near where I live.

Usually the kits paid me no attention but on the evening this image was taken, this particular little one was quite fascinated by the guy with the big camera. During breaks between battles with its siblings, it would come over and just watch me. I of course didn’t mind.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Kind of a neat one for #FoxFriday. This was from the local den that I spent hours upon hours observing this spring. The family was quite used to the human interlopers that were walking and riding by but the dogs, well, they did not care too much for them. Here, a dog nearby stops their play and they give me a nice little pose.

I spent many evenings this spring with a fantastic fox family not far from where I live. I took thousands of pictures of them and spent countless hours just watching and smiling.

Flipping through them, I found a number of images with the kits sampling or playing with the meals that the parents brought back to the den. Typical fare ranged from squirrel and rabbit to some sort of feathered creature, perhaps a goose.

Being juveniles though, the kits didn’t always eat and oftentimes just wanted to play with their food. Here are few of the fun shots I got of them with their dinners.

What a treat and a very pleasant surprise and a great shot for #FoxFriday.

Taken a few weeks ago, I was sitting on my perch on a sidewalk watching this pretty lady’s kits play in the evening sun. The sun was getting low and starting to cast long shadows so I was preparing to pack up when mom decided to come up and pay me a visit.

She kept a respectable distance but it was clear she had grown comfortable with my repeated presence enough to hang out in close proximity. It could be too that she was simply looking for a brief escape from her rambunctious kits as they undoubtedly were wearing her down. 😉

A few images of this handsome fellow in northern Colorado.

His mate had a bit of an injury to one of her legs so he made sure to stay close and keep an eye on her and their kits. This of course included keeping watch on the photographer.

Just like any dad, his primary role seemed to be as a guardian but he still made time to play with the kids. 

This is my eighth Father’s Day without my dad and while the pain has eased with time, it is the holidays, the birthdays and the anniversaries that are the hardest. I only hope that I am half the man my dad was and am as good of a father to my kids as he was to me and my siblings. Miss you, Pa!

I tend to think scenes like this between siblings are played out among humans as well. 😉

These two, rambunctious kits spent an evening a couple weeks ago chasing each other around. It makes for good practice for when they are older and have to hunt on their own. After a while, one definitely got the upper hand, pinning down its sibling.

I imagine at that point the one on bottom went and whined to mom about being picked on. Haha!

Continuing #FoxFriday. A very fun pic that I really like. This red fox vixen was napping on the shady side of the log. When she woke, she came around, peeking out and casting a perfect profile shadow of her head.