Hunting High and Low
Catching a glimpse of these “foxy” creatures in their natural habitat was a thrill
First of all, let me tell you, I am a lover of all things beautiful in our world. I have spent many hours a week combing through the back roads of Ontario in search of wildlife, interesting vistas and anything out of the ordinary to capture through my camera lens.
I was particularly intrigued by the red foxes that dart in and out of the shadows. I headed to Algonquin Park to get a glimpse of the ones I knew were already there and that have become quite tame. Although beautiful, I found it disturbing to see these creatures become accustomed to having people around and I longed to find a den where I could observe these lovely creatures without any other humans around.
I live on the outskirts of the lovely little town of Port Colborne, situated on the shores of beautiful Lake Erie. Water and sandhills surround us, making it the perfect habitat for none other than the elusive red fox. I started driving up and down the roads just outside of town to see if I could find any of the telltale mounds of sand that would go totally unnoticed by anyone else passing by in a car but would suggest a fox den to me.
After many weeks of seeing nothing much at all—it finally happened. I saw an adult fox hunting in the weeds along the side of the road adjacent to a marshy area close to our home. I watched her listening and crouching down in the grass all the while being ever so still. Finally, she cocked her head
to one side and immediately pounced on an unsuspecting rodent.
My heart started to race at the thought that perhaps there could be a den nearby. I watched the fox move towards the sandhills but was afraid to start my car and scare her. She headed into the dunes and I lost her, but I was not going to give up. I moved my car o the road and headed on foot in the direction I had last seen her. I sat very quietly for almost 45 minutes for another sight of the fox and then, not ten metres away, I saw a den. It was a large mound of sand that looked like any other except that there was a tiny fox kit peeking out of the top of it. Overjoyed, I raised my camera to take a picture, but he was gone. I waited for another half hour but there were no more sightings.
I returned early the next morning and sat just a little bit closer than I had before. I waited until, finally, the mother came out first, followed by her two little ones. I felt such a sense of privilege to be able to see these beautiful creatures in the wild. They didn’t stay out for long and as soon as I made a sound they were gone. I only returned one last time as I did not want to continue disturbing them but what a thrill to have spent even a few minutes with these beautiful animals.