This Red Fox Kit was photographed at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Millington, NJ in May, 2013.

The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (GSNWR) is a few miles from my home. I've photographed Red Foxes there before, but one day when I arrived I saw this very tolerant Red Fox Kit sleeping outside of one of the information booths at the Refuge.

I crept up very slowly and laid down in the gravel, laying my lens down on top of my outstretched hand. I took several photos of it asleep. Once it woke up, I watched it playing with some bugs in the dirt, and then it leaned over and grabbed this stem of grass in its mouth. At that moment I decided to capture this image.

I later watched this Kit wander off into the woods where I saw it start to nurse with its mother in a warm sunny patch of the forest.

These is a debate about whether Red Foxes are truly native to our country. Some believe they were introduced by British settlers, and others think they were already here. Because I enjoy photographing Red Foxes so much, I've learned alot about them, including how important they are to the ecosystem. For instance, they are a natural predator of meadow voles and field mice, both of which can be carriers of Lyme Disease. In some areas where Red Fox numbers are low, Lyme Disease may be high.

Red Foxes are hunted and trapped for for their fur in many US states. They are also predated on by Coyote and Wolf. I believe that the Red Fox is one of our most beautiful wild creatures, and anytime I see one in the wild I smile and feel very fortunate.

Equipment:
Canon EOS 7D
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM

ISO 320 | f/4 | 1/2500s

Post-processing: minor cropping, selective saturation and sharpening, contrast, and small tick removed from Fox's left eye.