Red foxes have always charmed and fascinated Jann and me. Over the years we would see one or two in our yard every few years. But most of our sightings were from distant places.
Many years ago I found a den in Thetford, VT that allowed me to get a few distant photos of them. And during a visit to Prince Edward Island in Canada, we were able to photograph foxes that were unfortunately being fed by tourists.
In 2012 in Sunapee, I was able to photograph a pair of adult foxes after a photo student showed me a photo she had taken and told me where I could find them. In Canaan in 2014, I spent some time photographing the runt of a litter. In 2016, a friend alerted me to a red fox den on her property in Etna. It was well-located for photography. Also in 2016, there was a den in New London under an abandoned house.
Then in 2019 we struck gold when we discovered a fox den very close to our house. I was able to get many photos of them and published three blogs with the photos. Here is the third one.
“Our” foxes returned in 2020 and had a litter of seven kits in the nearby den. However, we were devastated when two neighborhood dogs caused them to move the den before I could get photos of the kits growing up. But I had one great day with them and part of another day.
Recently, Jann and I headed down the hill for a late morning walk. Right in the middle of King Road we spied a young red fox.
It moved to the side of the road. We followed it for quite a while. It seemed half curious and half timid. We suspect it was one of “our” kits from spring. I believe a parent would have bolted into the woods immediately.
The young red fox worked its way along the edge of the woods not too far off the road. We were fortunate to be able to follow it while keeping a respectable distance.
Below is a whimsical shot where I combined two photos of the fox as it worked its way along what might have been parts of an old stone wall.
We were only with the fox for three minutes, but those few minutes were precious.
Late in April we spotted a young fox in our yard. I was able to get a few photos as it hunted (presumably) grasshoppers before disappearing into the woods.
It is great to see this young fox healthy and active. If you would like to see photos of what it looked like back in April and May you can CLICK HERE.