Another photo that thankfully came out well enough to upload : ) This young Red Fox was hanging out in the den area with one of his/her siblings while we watched from the car.

Tags:   Alberta Canada SE of Calgary fauna mammal kit young Fox Red Fox Vulpes vulpes lying down resting front view den carnivore one animal taken from car Panasonic DMC-FZ28 FZ28 point-and-shoot Lumix P1110881 FZ28 annkelliott Explore interestingness#205 explore2009June14 i500 #GreatNature #animal

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Yesterday morning, 26 January 2015, was spent in the mountains with friends, Cathy and Terry, exploring along the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail in Kananaskis Country (the closest area of the mountains west of the city). This gravel road, south of Canmore, travels through the heart of the scenic Smith-Dorrien Valley, which is one of the of the wildest areas in Kananaskis. For years, I had read about this road and how not to drive along it when the weather was poor or if it had been raining. However, usually when I have been there with friends, Cathy and Terry, we have found the road to be in good condition, unlike much of yesterday. The afternoon was spent along the Bow Valley Parkway.

The three of us had a great day, even though we had to deal with ice almost everywhere. Parts of the road were bare, other parts wet and muddy and the rest was a solid sheet of ice. Each time we stopped to take photos or watch wildlife, we had to park on ice and were surrounded by a solid sheet of ice. Consequently, I took most of my photos either from inside the car (which usually doesn't work!) or else standing and holding on to the car, which resulted in heat distortion/blur from the car. Most of my shots need to be deleted : (( This photo and the Moose photo are poor quality, but I'm posting them for the record.

This beautiful Moose had crossed over the road in front of us and disappeared a little way into the forest. We pulled over and stopped and watched and waited. At first, she stood with just part of her back end visible through the trees and then she turned around to face us. She seemed a little curious and at ease, watching while Terry came up with a solution of how I could get out of the car. The pure ice made it treacherous and so two of the car mats were placed like stepping stones for me. Unfortunately, though, if I moved more than a few inches to either side, my view of the Moose was blocked by the trees. However, at least I could remain upright but leaning over the hot car, which resulted in a set of very cute, but horribly blurry, images. We were very grateful for this beautiful encounter.

The Red Fox surprised us all - usually, you see them near the edge of woodlands or on the prairies. Don't remember seeing one in the mountain forest before. This animal was on the large side for a Red Fox (so maybe a male?), but it does have the black back of the ears and it had black on its legs, unlike a Coyote. There wasn't time to get a decent shot (from inside the car), but this photo is enough for ID purposes.

Thanks so much, Cathy and Terry, for yet another great day in the mountains - always so much fun! I really needed this wonderful day spent with the healing power of nature!

Posting really late today, as I did't set my alarm and ended up sleeping till about 1:00 pm..

Tags:   Alberta Canada Kananaskis K-Country nature animal wild wild animal wildlife Fox Red Fox

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This adorable little Red Fox kit showed itself for a couple of seconds this morning and then disappeared into its den and stayed there. Last week, I had seen this family with a friend, and two or three of the kits had seemed quite comfortable with the presence of our vehicle. This morning, I went with another friend who knew about these Foxes, but all we had was this one quick view. I really hope that not too many people have been going out to see them - which is why I have given no location. Sadly, some photographers spoil things not only for other people, but also cause stress on the wildlife - which is definitely thoughtless and can be devastating for our furry and feathered neighbours. My thanks to all those photographers who ARE thoughtful and put the well-being of wildlife before getting that "important" shot!

Tags:   Alberta Canada south of Calgary nature wildlife wild mammal Fox Red Fox Vulpes vulpes young kit sitting image digital color image horizontal no people outdoors Panasonic DMC-FZ28 FZ28 Lumix point-and-shoot P1120264 FZ28 annkelliott curious curiosity #GreatNature #animal

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All three of my photos today happen to be from my archives. Not intentionally done : ) This young Red Fox was one of several that I saw and photographed early to mid June this year, south east of the city. Most of my photos came out blurred, especially the lower part of each image. Not sure why, as I thought I made sure I was well cleared of the lowered car window. I managed to rescue several images and this is another one that I hadn't posted earlier. They are such beautiful creatures - just love that little face.

Tags:   Alberta Canada southern Alberta south east of Calgary nature animal mammal wild wild animal wildlife Fox Red Fox Vulpes vulpes young juvenile eye-contact sitting beautiful beauty in nature image photograph digital colour image outdoors horizontal Panasonic DMC-FZ28 FZ28 Lumix point-and-shoot P1110871 FZ28 annkelliott kit beautiful_expression NaturesFinest © Anne Elliott 2009 © All Rights Reserved

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I haven't quite run out of photos of the little Red Fox kits, southeast of Calgary. So many of the photos I took came out horribly blurry, but thought I'd share the ones that came out OK. Love the white tip of his/her tail, and the black markings on those little legs.

Tags:   Alberta Canada southern Alberta south east of Calgary nature animal wild wild animal Fox Red Fox Vulpes vulpes young kit white-tipped tail curious curiosity fur image photograph digital horizontal no people color image outdoors Panasonic DMC-FZ28 FZ28 Lumix point-and-shoot P1110879 FZ28 annkelliott

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