Red Fox of Yellowstone
The Fox Posed for Us, Smiling for the Camera
There is an area near Yellowstone where I’ve captured my best images of red fox. I’ve seen red foxes throughout Colorado, even a couple of silver foxes, but in this Yellowstone environment they are like moose in Horseshoe Park. They seem to pop up predominately and smile for the camera.
Everytime I drive this stretch of highway, my eyes are on alert for foxes. Adding to the beauty is the snow that’s still on the ground in May. Late May is my favorite time in Yellowstone. Fewer people, babies being born, and red foxes on snow covered terrain.
The first time I saw one there, we were driving along a narrow road, when I saw a black nose and red highlights peeking from the thick forest. Luckily, I was in the passenger seat. My wife, Carolyn, finds it safer if she drives when I’m looking for wildlife (which is all the time). I pointed, and my well versed partner eased the speed of the car as I lifted my lens out the window.
The fox posed for us, both curious and, I like to believe, smiling for the camera. Then he began trotting along the roadside. Carolyn easily moved beyond him. I turned, pointing my lens behind us, and captured images as the handsome fellow moved toward us.
The best fox last year in Yellowstone was the first fox. I was with a group of photographers, and we spotted him in an open field, yellowish-red against the snow. We exited the SUV, standing on the road’s edge watching him navigate the field.
Seeing he was moving west toward a stand of young pines, I guided my friends easily and quietly down the road. By the time he had disappeared into the trees, we were standing in front of them. There, we did not move. We waited. Eventually, we saw him peeking out from not far away. His yellowish-red was bright against the white snow among the green pines.
Our cameras were up, and as he stepped into the open, I captured my favorite fox photo as he posed looking our way among the colorful surroundings. He didn’t wait long, watching us, then moving back into the forest. Yet, in the moment he was there, I was thrilled with the image he allowed me to capture.
We saw six red foxes that morning. Some were cooperatively curious, others cautious and scooting off into saver surrounds. But with each, foxes did what foxes will do. They’d stop mid-trot and look back to see if we were following. Realizing we weren’t, that we were respecting his space, the fox would give us a moment to capture his beautiful image as he watched us.
One image that I really liked was a fox trotting across a snow covered field. That’s all there was, a white snowy background and a red fox on a mission. Beautiful!
The most unique experience was at a picnic pullout. The fox seemed unafraid, and I feared he had been fed by previous people unaware of the harm they could be doing in feeding the fox Dorito chips or the last bite of a hotdog bun.
We did not offer food, but watched the fox prance around with hope in his eyes. He was a beautiful animal, skinny with long hair transitioning from red to yellow the longer it got. At one point, he ran to an island in the Lamar River hoping from rock to rock as he crossed.
I moved into position to capture the image as he watched from the island. Then, unexpectedly, he began his trek back, hopping over rocks to a log until he was back in the picnic area. Then he began his hopeful hunt once again only to be disappointed as none of us wanted to contribute to his and past picnickers' bad habits.
At the end of a morning of foxes, I had several images I was excited about. The warm, delicate beauty of the canines showed through on those images, and I was thankful to have shared a few hours with red foxes.
Then we were off into Yellowstone. Off to find bison, coyotes, wolves, black bear, and the dynamic grizzly. The trip had started with wonderful fox images, and there were so many more incredible wildlife shots to capture.
