THE FOX FAMILY
This summer's project took me somewhere much closer to home — a red fox den tucked at the edge of my mother's property. I first noticed signs of activity in late spring, and by early summer, four kits were regularly emerging to tumble around the den entrance in the early morning light. Watching them go from wobbly, dark-coated bundles barely able to climb over a fallen branch to confident, russet-coated kits play-fighting and pouncing on each other felt like getting a front-row seat to a story most people never see.
As the weeks went on, the kits grew bolder, wandering farther from the den to explore, pounce on grasshoppers, and practice the stalking behavior they'll need as adults. The vixen was a constant presence nearby, keeping watch while also making trips out to hunt and bring back food, met each time by a chorus of kits vying for her attention. Photographing them day after day let me capture that gradual shift from helpless newborns to capable young foxes, all in the space of a single summer, in my own backyard.
A few fun facts about red foxes: kits are born blind and are typically able to open their eyes at around 8 to 14 days old. A fox's bushy tail, which can be nearly as long as its body, serves multiple purposes — providing balance while running and jumping, and wrapping around the body like a blanket for warmth during cold weather. Red foxes have excellent low-light vision and rely heavily on their hearing, reportedly able to detect small rodents moving underground before pouncing on them from above. Kits typically disperse from the den and strike out on their own between 6 and 9 months of age.
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