A Furry Fox Friend
Animals Greeted Us at Many Stops
I ran into Sharon on the side of the road near that opening between the Deer Mountain Junction and the Beaver Ponds. It’s a place I call “Moose Meadows.” That day, there were three elk with small velvet antlers grazing in the meadow, and we were both photographing them.
I’d met Sharon like this briefly on other occasions. She had been coming to Estes Park since she was a child. And as we stood talking, she told me of a time when the roads weren’t so crowded, the animals just as abundant, and you could bushwack across the rocks to walk the edge of the continental divide. Those were her childhood memories.
Now, she was learning photography, and asked if she could book a couple of
RMNPhotographer Private Photography Tours.
A couple of days later, we were off together searching for wildlife to photograph. It was a wonderful morning, with animals greeting us at many stops. In Endo Valley, there was a bull moose feeding on the leaves by munching down on the branch, pulling it through his mouth, and shedding the stem of its greens.
At Sheep Lakes, we watched a young bull for a long time until he ran from the lake toward where we stood on the curve. Stopping, he posed as if to remind us, behind a sign that read, “Meadow Closed: Wildlife Protection and Viewing Area.”
Appropriately, at Deer Mountain, a mule deer doe and twin fawns stood frozen for just a moment. Before we could get our cameras up, she scampered away and into the forest where her babies would be protected.
Driving into the Hidden Valley parking area, a bull elk stood boldly on top of a hill. With the growth of his antlers so early in the season, you could tell by the rut, he would be an active bull with strong, dominant antlers pointed at their tips.
Sharon and I parked in a pullout and walked the edge of Trail Ridge Road along the willows at the Beaver Ponds. As we stood talking, watching, we did not see any animals. After a few minutes, we decided to move on.
A Beautiful, Yellowish Red Fox Emerged
Then, I saw him, a beautiful, yellowish red fox emerging from the brush. Pointing at the canine not twenty feet, I was sure he would see us and scamper back into the brush. Instead, he sniffed and hunted, searching for food in the ground, a rodent of any type. He was so close as we watched.
Our cameras up, both Sharon and I were shooting pictures. To my shock, the furry fox stayed right in front of us. He continued to hunt, captured a vole, ate it down, then hunted some more. For ten minutes, we were able to capture images. To Sharon, I suggested camera settings, f-stop speed and ISO. Awkwardly shooting from above, we adjusted our angle working for better composition.
In RMNP, shooting deer, elk and moose are not a rarity. Chances to capture a fox, especially in more than a fleeting moment, were unique. This time with this fox so closely to us was a gift. Then, as if knowing this, the fox sat, posed for us, and yawned as if had become a bit bored. When we had several images, he stood looking at us, then ran up the hill, crossing the road, and disappeared into the forest.
I am so lucky on
RMNPhotographer Tours to be able to watch, photograph, and appreciate these magnificent animals sharing moments in their world. On this day, this beautiful, full and fluffy red fox had given Sharon and I a few special moments of photography.
