Backyard Foxes

A Wonderful Distraction

In the midst of Covid staying at home, we had the good fortune of having a family of foxes take up residence under our neighbor’s shed.

We could count on them to come out and play in the early morning and early evening.

It became the first thing we did when we got up in the morning. Pull the curtains back and see if they were out playing. If so, I’d put on shoes and grab my camera.

I mean, look at them. We fell in love with them. They were gorgeous. We were quite entertained by their antics as well on some days.

The parents were ever protective. If we got too close, we’d be growled at. Rule number one with wildlife is to be respectful of them. You’re in their home and backyard. We are the intruders here.

She was either yawning or yelling at her kits. Maybe a bit bored with all the jumping around all over each other.

The kits were curious as to what I was doing, who I was and I’m guessing assessing whether or not I was a danger.

We witnessed some precious moments. What an absolute honor to be able to photograph this family every day for a few months.

So much laughing and playing around. We laughed right along with them.

We became quite attached to these little kits. As the months went on we watched them grow. They still hung around a bit on and off but eventually they moved on to do what foxes do.

We always kept an eye out for them. There is a trail through our backyard where we would see one cross once in a while. As they got older we witnessed them come down with mange. We called the local wildlife rehabilitation organization. Oh, those poor, itchy foxes. Several of them were picked up by the organization to be helped. We followed along on Facebook as they shared images of their progress. The foxes that were picked up were taken care of and eventually well enough to be released back into the wild.

What a way to spend a few months when we were unable to go out for our usual jobs and activities.

I am a photographer, educator, mentor & photo tour guide.

If I have to classify my work it’s mostly fine art photography. Based outside of Chicago, I enjoy photographing architecture, traveling as much as possible and just wandering in nature with my camera are my favorite things to do.

You can find more of my work in these galleries.

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