Umm. Yeah. This happened! I decided I couldn’t want for Fox Friday to share this crazy cool capture so here it is a couple days early.

While exploring an open space, I spotted this gorgeous fox as it patrolled the area. It disappeared over a hill but I suspected it was just over the crest. Crouching down, I slowly and quietly followed and as I neared the top, I spotted it standing there, surveying its domain. It was completely unaware of my presence as I snapped some initial images of it posing.

Suddenly, it decided it was time to move and much to my surprise, it bounded right at me! This is when I resort to the ‘spray and pray’ method of photography – squeeze the trigger, try to stay on the target and hope like heck you get the shot.

Well, I did! The fox made two bounds through the grass toward me and then it finally spotted me. At that point, it put the brakes on, made a fast turn and headed off, no doubt as surprised as I was at the encounter. In the end, I captured what is probably my best fox action shot to date and walked away with a huge grin on my face.

A follow-on picture to the sleeping fox image I shared this morning. As I mentioned, after I watched it sleep for a bit, it did wake up. When it did, it seemed a bit surprised to find someone with a camera pointed right at it.  That probably wasn’t the nicest way to wake from a nap but it didn’t seem to mind too much. It laid there briefly, studying me, then got up and walked off into the bushes.

Hope you are having a fantastic Fox Friday.

Talk about a charmed encounter! With cooler temperatures and the sun getting lower on the horizon, I have been able to go for some photo walks after work again. This week, one of my stops to an area open space was absolutely fantastic.

As I walked along, I saw something red on the other side of a bush. I was pretty sure it was just trash but, just in case, I slowed down and moved quietly. Much to my delight, I found this gorgeous red fox lying down and taking a daytime nap in the warmth of the sun!

It isn’t often you get foxes out in the open, let alone one taking a nap. It did wake up eventually and gave me some nice looks before deciding it didn’t care for the intrusion and moving off. Definitely a cool pic for Fox Friday.

While this vixen was entirely focused on the humans walking by, its kit was more interested in a morning meal. Fox kits will do this, sniffing at a parent’s mouth, using their sense of smell to determine if the parent has a meal. In this case, mom had yet to venture out and hunt so the kit was left to wait for a little while longer.

This is the third picture I have shared of this gorgeous fox from my encounter with it in Gunnison National Forest last month. Believe me, I have so many more I could share too!

Given the remote location, this fox was unusually brave, not minding my son and I as we watched and photographed it. This was taken not long after my son initially spotted it. I had grabbed my camera and rushed out of the RV.

It just sat there, watching a nearby area where the chipmunks and squirrels were quite active. In doing so, it gave me this fantastic pose. Encounters like that are so rare and something I am certainly thankful for.

Looks at that focus! Foxes are well-known for their hunting prowess and this one was showing just how it is done. Crouched down, moving slowly and each step purposefully placed to minimize noise as it hunts its prey. Awesome!

This is the same fox that I shared for last week’s Fox Friday, taken after that image, once we were done with its portrait session. It then moved on, deciding it was ready to eat. As my steaks on the grill were already overcooked, I too needed to feed myself so I left the fox to pursue dinner and I am sure it was successful.

“Dad, there’s a fox out there!” We just returned from camping in Gunnison National Forest and a most magical encounter with this foxy one.

With steak on the grill, we were prepping the rest of dinner in the RV when my son spotted the sly one. Needless to say, that took priority over food! I ran out with my camera and the fox was just sitting there watching us.

After I got a few initial pics it lazily walked off out of view. I, of course, followed and at first was concerned I had lost it when I looked low beneath a pine tree and see those gorgeous eyes staring back at me. This was the immediate capture I got and I have to say, I really like it.

For another 10 minutes the fox posed for me, seemingly as curious about me as I was about it. Eventually it stealthily headed off, staying low to the ground and clearly on the hunt for dinner. As my dinner was by now overdone (well done steak was not the plan – but worth it), I decided it was time for both of us to eat and I left it to carry on.

What better way to spend a Saturday morning than lying around with your mom, enjoying some quiet time? Of course with fox kits, quiet time doesn’t usually last long which is probably why the vixens always seem kind of stressed out – much like their human counterparts. Ha! After a round of rambunctious play with its siblings, this kit curled up next to mama for a bit of a break. A nice, fleeting moment of calm.

They might be little but they can run like nobody’s business. The three kits that made an appearance on this morning were quite full of it, spending a lot of time playing, chasing and antagonizing each other.

This play, of course, serves a purpose as it is training them for when they start hunting on their own. While these guys were young, they were incredibly agile (and of course cute).

Have a fantastic Fox Friday!

Another couple captures of this pretty lady and her fox kits for Mother’s Day.

They are definitely getting to the age where she isn’t going to allow this for long. For the time being, she took the role of a providing mother in fine fashion, standing until all three had their fill. Once they did, they were back to raising a ruckus and wearing the poor lady out. 😉