Fox Family

With excitement inside mounting, my heart was literally hammering so hard I could hear it, the nearer and nearer I crawled, to this beautiful fox family. Oh yes I did want some shots!

Well I didn't expect this today - what a thrill!

Stopping at the entrance to a large field of stubble, I saw right in the very corner, miles away some tiny reddy/orange shapes of foxes! Not dressed for stealth tactics and standing out like a sore thumb with a white t-shirt on, I knew I never had a chance of creeping up unnoticed so dropped the camera bag on the floor and tried to amuse myself with a few macro shots which were few and far between.

The pull in the end was was too strong and I new I just had to give it a try. On my hands and knees in the weeds, wild flowers and thistles I started the ever so slowly to crawl following a tiny animal path, down the field edge; inches at a time. This is what I started with full zoom. Ever so often peeking above the grasses to see what was going on, in the full sun, trying to be so very silent took some doing and some time too! And I was being bitten! Standing up to take shots was risky business especially as my shadow fell right into the stubble.

They were just wonderful to watch in the wild. I couldn't but help admire the gorgeous colour of their coats and their playfulness within the family group. A real treat for me.

However it all came to an abrupt end as the two young dog foxes decided to wander down my little path. I knew they were there the other side of a tiny tussock and my mind went into overdrive...oooh auto focus, nooo manual focus because of the grasses....nooo auto focus!! I knew the shot I wanted but it was not to be as this fox clocked me through the maze of grass.

I haven't had as much excitement in ages with my blips!