One last check. A final scan of the woods with my thermal camera to look for any wandering deer before heading back. Five more minutes until a return to the home office was required. I let out a sigh as I neared the top of the hill, no deer today. A quiet moment of resignation that was interrupted by a scuffle in the undergrowth and a furry flash as two animals flew past me. Camera raised just in time to watch them come to a skidding halt in front of a tree – a couple of scuffling foxes. It took a few minutes for my excited brain to process that these were cubs, not adults – the first fox cubs I’d ever seen on my local patch.
While I tried desperately to stop my hands shaking from the adrenaline, I moved slowly and quietly to a position nearer to where they were playing and watched them with the help of my long lens. That was when I noticed there was an adult with them. The two cubs were maybe 6 to 8 weeks old. Their coats had shifted from brown to that distinctive rust-colour but their snouts were still short, giving their little faces a bear-like appearance. They were having a game of rough and tumble under a tree which I’d often looked at and wondered if it had been a den. It was a clever spot, with the mouth of the den concealed by a tangle of holly – perfect for keeping the cubs hidden from view but not so great for the photographer desperately trying to get a clean shot of her first fox cubs.
It was a delight to watch them though and I had to remind myself not to hold my breath. The vixen left shortly after and trotted past only a couple of metres from where I was standing, without so much as a glance in my direction. I can only assume that keeping still and only my legs being at her head height meant she hadn’t seen me. Once I was positive she had left the area completely, I left too. I had a job to return to and the cubs had made their way back into their den.
Mother’s methods
During the month of May you will notice that fox cubs are often left on their own, which can sometimes lead people to wrongly assume they’ve been abandoned. The first time I spotted these fox cubs, the vixen was with them, which I was able to confirm in one of my images where her enlarged teats were visible.
I later deleted that image because she was slightly out of focus sitting among the holly branches that were also concealing her cubs. However, a top tip is to never delete an image of an animal or situation that you’re trying to gain an understanding of until you’ve had a chance to study it fully on the biggest screen you have. The image was quite obviously not worth processing, but if I’d deleted it at that moment I wouldn’t have been able to confirm that it was the vixen visiting the cubs and not the dog or a babysitting auntie.
The vixen wasn’t around during my subsequent encounters with the cubs. Every time I visited, I painstakingly scoured the area with my thermal monocular to make sure she was not around, as I did not want to deter her from visiting the cubs. At this time of year she will be out hunting but will return to her cubs regularly throughout the day to deliver their next meal, as she weans them off her milk and on to solids. I kept a close watch for her returning at all times.
Second sighting
The second encounter I had with the cubs was quite different from the first. For starters it was much brighter, with dappled sunlight spilling down onto the woodland floor where the parched bluebells had pretty much given up. The vixen wasn’t around this time and the cubs were busy exploring. They trotted off in different directions but, luckily for me, kept returning to the den. I stood behind a tree nearby and was able to capture a few decent images of them as they wandered around.
I should probably say that the conditions near the den aren’t great for photography; it’s pretty dark in the shade of the trees and there is a lot of tall and low-hanging vegetation, leading to plenty of soft and out of focus images, even when using my trusty back button focus. Plus, these little cubs are fast, and trying to balance using a high ISO to get sharp shots that are usable left me sticking to trying to get portraits instead. At least I managed to get some good shots during that visit, thanks to the cubs pausing in the patches of sunlight.
Bold behaviour
As the month came to a close, and the weather turned, it was easier to walk through the woods undetected. The unavoidably loud crunching of leaves was replaced by my silent feet on a soggy carpet. Being careful to avoid snapping twigs, I took up my position behind a different tree and waited. When the cubs emerged that lunchtime I could tell they were already more confident. No hanging around the den this time. They trotted straight off into the woods with an almost comical business-like look of determination on their little faces. Unfortunately, I don’t have any images of their expedition because they passed so close to where I was standing that I couldn’t get them in focus. Again, my legs seemed to be invisible to them and I watched them disappear into the distance.
As I watched them go, I wondered about positioning myself on the ground for my next visit. I find these situations are a bit of a gamble. I’m fully aware that part of the reason I’ve remained unseen is that my unmoving legs are at fox head height. If I sit down, they may easily spot me and see me as a threat. Another issue with getting down to shoot from a low perspective is one I’ve encountered while photographing the roe deer: vegetation. The lower I am, the more strands of grass, branches, and leaves tend to be waving around in front of my subject.
Patient presence
So, on my next visit, I sat on a log and waited. The foxes didn’t make an appearance but a man walking his large dog in the main path through the woods did. I didn’t want to draw attention to the den, so I made a quiet exit from the area. The amount of feet, paws, and cycle traffic going through these woods makes me anxious for the cubs but I’m sure their wily mother knows the area well enough to be used to the human activity nearby.
The discovery of fox cubs on my local patch has been as delightful as I always knew it would be. I haven’t managed to capture many decent images but just spending time near them is what counts. I’ve learned so much about them in a short space of time, and this knowledge will aid me in capturing more fox images in the future. For now, I’ll just soak up the pleasure of their company.
