This week I’d like to introduce you to a family of foxes I met when camping in Fort Smith earlier this year.
Most of the foxes I have the pleasure of photographing are urban critters, familiar with humans and I dare say many are even accustomed to us to the point that they have no fear. Of course, much of this behaviour is due to living in close proximity to human activity. Sadly it is also because humans feed them.
While it is convenient and pleasurable to get to know generations of an urban fox family, it is more exciting to win the trust of foxes in the wilderness and this small family was no exception.
Before leaving, I did a bit of research on possible locations for wildlife watching. There are a number of areas where wildlife can be be seen but there is never a guarantee that an animal will keep an appointment!
I found this fox family on Fox Hole Road, yes really. I suppose it is so named for a reason. It could have easily been named Sandhill Crane Lane, or Birder’s Paradise Loop for the amount of wildlife I encountered while creeping along the gravel road in the truck.
The first time I spotted a fox it was an adult fighting off a northern harrier. She ducked away from it and chased after it a number of times and when it finally moved off, the fox led a couple of her kits from this sandy den site to one hidden amongst tall willow bushes. As she led her kits to the other den site, she came up behind a pair of Sandhill Cranes. They became quite nervous and scampered away in protest.
The next time I stopped near the den I spotted a kit just hanging out sleeping in the grass. Then a couple more heads popped up and there were four kits playing in the grass. It was so fun to watch them chase each other and wrestle. When one of the parents returned with a big fat vole, I thought the fight would be on but everyone seemed too busy playing to take any interest in the offering. Finally, one of the kits grabbed the snack and took off to play with it in the grass away from its siblings.
I spent about an hour with these foxes before they headed underground and out of the heat. I was so happy to have had an encounter with these country foxes during my holiday as I had difficulty finding fox kits around the city this spring.
I hope you enjoy the photos of these little ones. I sure had fun capturing their personalities!