Red Fox Entering Snowy Den
I had a split second to raise my camera, aim, and shoot at this Red Fox on Wednesday before it quickly darted back into its den. I included the first photo of it looking at me despite the fact I unfortunately focused on the grass that covered its eye, bah! If my aim had been a fraction of an inch to the side, or that one blade was not in the way, I would have been a very happy man. That is the nature of…nature…photography when you often do not get a second chance for a great shot. Nevertheless, I loved the red and brown colors of this animal contrasting against the still...
Read MoreRed Fox Encounter
I recently encountered an old friend in the form of a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) at a known site that has a den and an annual family. I was unexpectedly thrust into the role of being the stalker instead of the sly fox. Even that is not a very accurate description as I stopped moving when I spotted it, knowing that it would detect me if I continued my progress. It was busy hunting, likely for small mammals, right along the earth in these grasslands. It took a couple of snaps of my shutter for it to turn around, see me, and then flee, all recorded below. This is what most mammalian predators,...
Read MoreTimber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) leaving den
For a final Timber Rattlesnake post here’s the third “teenage” individual that we saw, coming upon this one leaving its den. It decided to go back home once it found ferocious humans. I find it endlessly engrossing that some of the wisest early Americans used the rattlesnake as a unique symbol for the burgeoning nation – “a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America” as Benjamin Franklin said. In his infamous “Join, or Die” political cartoon, created during the French and Indian War, Franklin depicted a rattlesnake in eight pieces...
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