I walked a trail at the Fort Smith National Historic Site just after sunrise. A flash of red fur in the grass caught my eye. A red fox in Fort Smith, Arkansas was not what I expected to find that morning, but there it was, right in front of me.
Its red coat stood out against the green and faded gold grass. The white on its chest showed plain against the grass too. I could not believe my luck.
Red foxes are the largest of the true foxes. They live across North America, Europe, and Asia, and in parts of Africa. They get by in forests, grasslands, mountains, and even cities. This one had settled on a trail at a historic site in the middle of Fort Smith, and it seemed content to stay a while.
Shooting From The Trail At Sunrise
I raised my camera and started shooting. The fox stayed put. It lay there calm, ears up and eyes on me, while I worked through frame after frame.
Most foxes do not sit still for that. This one did, in soft early light, and I took every frame it offered me. A morning like that is a gift to a wildlife photographer, at least in my book.
The Red Fox Trotted Off Into The Grass
After a while, the fox got up and trotted off into the grass. The show was over. I felt lucky to have been there for it, and meeting that fox was the highlight of my week.
Fox encounters stick with me. I wrote about another one in My First Swift Fox Encounter in Oklahoma.
These moments keep me coming back to wildlife photography. I never know what I will find out there, and that is the whole point.