9-21-2018
I have always welcomed the opportunity to photograph foxes but have never gone out of my way to find them. They are abundant in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula. I’ve encountered them at home and especially while in my van traveling. Having my camera attached to my lens and easy to grab made many of the following images possible. So did the fact that I always travel with the equipment. I never know when an opportunity will come along. I just place a beanbag on the van window frame, rest the lens on it, and photograph.
Nowhere to Hide
This female was running across a large open field more than 400 yards wide, parallel to a road not often traveled, during the middle of the day. It was April 21 of this spring and about 2 feet of snow covered the field. She was nursing young at the time (as seen on her belly).
Nowhere to Run
She began to run, possibly toward her den (so there was somewhere to run).
Fox Family
I found this family just after sunrise.
Fox Family 2
The pups were playful but hungry.
Hugging Mom
This image appears in my book, Beautiful Birds of Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula: Beautiful Birds of the Eastern Upper Peninsula
Fox in Ferns
I found this fox a few hundred yards from my home while photographing warbler flocks in fall.
Fox Pup Wake-up
My wife and I peered down a ravine and she spotted this pup sleeping. By the time I went to my van to bring photo equipment it began to wake up.
Fox Pup Standing
Then it stood up and offered a portrait showing its dark lower legs and paws.
Fox with Meadow Voles
This mother fox was a very successful hunter, gathering many voles in a large field. I noticed her running parallel to a well-traveled highway in the afternoon, luckily when there was no traffic, while on my way back home from Whitefish Point – a trip to photograph migrating hawks in early May. She ran to her awaiting pups in a den under a farmer’s silo after this image.
Fox Pups at Den 1
When driving a remote road just after sunrise I notice these pups scoot into their den. I pulled my van into a position where the low sun was directly behind me pointing at the entrance, set up my equipment on my beanbag, and I used a camouflage cover for my window with a hole cut out for the lens. The pups emerged and soon began to play.
Fox Pups at Den 2