Tags: Lepus europaeus Brown Hare White Peak Limestone Grassland Derbyshire Peak District Peak Park Spring March 2024 running male Jack
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Bisson wandering down the road in heavy snowfall
Tags: SonyA7iv SonyUK Sonyalpha Winter Yellostone NP snow
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This is the last thing a lot of small rodents see..
Beautiful white teeth (compare to domestic dogs!) revealed by the red fox's big yawn.
I photographed this gloriously beautiful red fox in Cooke City, Montana, just outside of Yellowstone National Park's northeast entrance. It came close to check us out, but backed off when it realized we weren't going to offer it food.
I spent a lot of time with these foxes, so bear with me, I'm going to post a lot of photos of them!
While this fox is wild - not born, raised, or currently in captivity and fully capable of feeding itself naturally - there is an individual in CC who feeds wildlife* and has been doing so for years, which makes it easier to photograph the foxes because they are not averse to human presence. At no time did they beg for food from us nor did anyone in the small group of photographers offer them food.
*I, and many other people including all the residents of the little town of Cooke City, have long known this, but this morning I personally witnessed it for the first time. I absolutely do not condone feeding wildlife beyond putting out food for birds.
Does this situation suggest I should not photograph these foxes? I've thought about that question a lot. The photo opportunities are exceptional, and I want to document what wild foxes are like as well as to bring attention to the feeding issue. My photography does not result in any direct benefit to the people who are illegally feeding wildlife, or detriment to the foxes, since they are already highly tolerant of human presence. And the availability of easy-to-photograph wildlife does bring business to the small town of Cooke City, which in recent years, like all small businesses, suffered from pandemic shutdowns, followed, in this case, by catastrophic flooding (June 2022) that closed access to the town for a full summer business season. Having said that, I also don't expect to profit from having taken advantage of the situation, except maybe from the appreciation of those who like the photos.
A dilemma worthy of consideration.
Tags: Yellowstone National Park Red fox Vulpes vulpes Cooke City Montana
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Drystone walls by the side of Tideswell Lane near Eyam.
Tags: Landscape Derbyshire peak district white peak eyam tideswell lane dry stone walls black + white monochrome
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I was out walking with my wife in the Peak District yesterday and saw my first Ring Ouzel of the year plus some good views of Goshawks. This morning I returned to the place with my camera and had some amazingly close views. This is an immature female hunting over the moors. According to the BTO there are 620 breeding pairs of Goshawks in Britain but they can be frustratingly elusive so I really appreciate every photo-opportunity that comes my way.
Tags: Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis Peak District Tim Melling
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