I found the den rather easily, as the kits were out sunning themselves on a big rock when I got there. The parents were nowhere to be seen, presumably out hunting for their brood of five. First order of business…allow the kits to be comfortable with my presence. This involves a lot of sitting, and yes, talking to them. The animals clearly knew I was there, so I always figure talking can help break the ice. After about an hour, I had slowly worked my way towards a clear shot of the den. I only moved in close enough for my 300mm lens to get some environmental portraits, and then lay on the ground considering the light and getting a few shots as they quietly played.

Fox Kit...Environmental Portrait Near the Den

And then they were off…

Mom came back, and everyone scrambled to the far side of the rock from where I was. I assume in the time she was there, about five minutes, she was nursing, as I briefly saw her nursing upon her second return. When the kits failed to return to the den, I went out to the road, and found them all playing roadside on the rocks in the bright sunshine. They were good about avoiding the road…never venturing upon it, and hiding every time a car came. 

During this time, I began to see that each of them had their own personalities…some brave and adventurous, some timid, one mischievous. Quite the social dynamic…even forming individual bands of two and three respectively.

Fox Kit in the Sun

After about an hour of playing, they all went back to the other side of the rock, under a hemlock, in the darker forest. I crept around the back, and found four of them in a pile taking a nap. The mischievous one was sleeping alone, and every once in a while, venturing out, keeping watch, and biting one in the pile. The slept for about an hour and a half, and during that time, I was able to sneak in fairly close for pictures.  The pile rarely stirred, which surprised me, and required lots of patience to shoot when the did briefly wake…

Pile of Fox Kits ... Fast Asleep!

Pile of Fox Kits ... Briefly Stirring

When mom came back again, everything stirred suddenly, including the surrounding forest. Rodents and birds sounded their alarm calls. One of the kits, so excited to see mom, and forgetting that I was there, ran right at me. I initially froze, but I didn’t want the kit that close, and I knew that mom was behind me somewhere (subconscious fear of attack?). So I motioned for the kit to stop. And it did, and I managed this one shot of a way to close fox kit. I wish I didn’t chop the ear, but it happened way to fast.

Mom's Back ... Accidental Extreme Closeup!

Mom didn’t stick around long again, likely not wanting to feed with me there, but the kits were active again. They mainly stayed in the forest area, which now had a nice even light as clouds had filled in. I struggled to keep the shutter speed high enough for their motion, but got a few more nice shots as they played and rolled around.

When mom came back again, I knew I’d likely overstayed my welcome, and slunk away for the day. I had spent over five hours sitting quietly with a family of foxes, observing, learning, and capturing the scene as best I could. Couldn’t have imagined the day going any better!

Record heat in late March pushed the wildflowers out of the ground VERY early, and caused the trees to bud out way ahead of schedule. By April first, I had photographed Bloodroot, Hepatica, Spring Beauty and Arbutis, all well ahead of their historical norms.

Bloodroot in March ... A Few Weeks Early After the Heatwave

Unfortunately for the plants and trees, as quickly as the heat came in, it left, and normal weather this time of year in New England means below freezing temperatures. Growth of leaves ground to a halt, and my garden has some serious frost damage. The forest floor responded in suit by slowing the progress of flowers, and we’re stuck in limbo.  It had been dry as well, which has lead to low stream and waterfall flow, and on windy (most) days…brush fires.  All this has made it tough to get out and shoot, and I don’t feel like I’m missing much out there!

The delay however, is going to make for a hectic end of the month in terms of shooting, as there will be no stagger in the wildflowers, waterfalls, flowering trees and bog growth. All things I hope to shoot, and wanted more time to spend with each.  Prioritization is going to have to depend on the conditions of the day when we get there…

Until then, I’m not expecting much in the way of photography until Late April. See you then!

My favorite thing about spring is always the wildflowers that race to bloom in the forests before the canopy leafs out. The cues to start heading to the woods are the crocuses blooming, and by last weekend, they were out enjoying the first days of the warm stretch. It just kept getting warmer through the week though, and though I couldn’t get out to my Hepatica covered hillside until Friday, the bloom cycle wouldn’t wait. By midweek, the maples had popped and daffodils arrived, and by friday, the magnolia trees had started to open up. All this is WAY ahead of last year.

As I drove into the back entrance of Pawtuckaway on Friday, a patch of Colt’s foot was blooming along the road. I found the hillside covered in sporadic flowers, but the full bloom hadn’t yet arrived. Which is probably a good thing for the flowers, as they are blooming 20 days earlier than last year, and 11 days earlier than I’d ever found them in this location.

Hey Hepatica...It's Still MARCH!

Will spring continue to race ahead…likely not, which has me concerned. Two years ago, the fruit trees bloomed early, and a late frost killed the apple crop for the year. But humans aren’t the only species that takes advantage of the fruits and flowers. Early blooms can happen before migrations that have long been in sync. Birds and butterflies may be pinched out of a usual food source, leading to a failed breeding year.

And cold weather is forecast, with temperatures in the twenties forecaster for lows early this coming weeks…which is of course…normal!

How will the rest of this spring wildflower season play out…we’ll have to wait and see…but I do know my expectations are not likely to match my experiences!