Zapisi s terena

Foxes in the village

17.05.2022


28 °C  |   4 m/s  |   sunny

Due to the high winds at elevations over 800 m MSL, I went for a photo hunt in my own village. It’s been a long while since I’d last done that; I’d recently been neglecting the home meadows, as there was just more going on in the highlands.

This was also an opportunity to try out my new acquisition – a hide. I’d never used this sort of cover before. I thought it would make it a lot easier to get a good shot, but as it would turn out, that’s not quite the case. A great deal of caution and perseverance is still needed.

I set the hide up next to some bushes, overlooking a large meadow. Mere 15 minutes later, a doe and a deer trotted out from the brush. I immediately assailed them with my camera. Not a good move! I’m in a hide, I thought; they aren’t gonna spot me. This was when I learned that you must wait until the animal feels safe before slowly beginning taking photos, otherwise it’s all over quickly.

The doe spotted the tent and immediately scurried back into the safety of the forest. That was the last animal I would see until the evening. When I was packing away the hide to go home, a fox came trotting into the meadow. Okay, motivation for the next day.

I return next afternoon. Strong winds continue in the highlands, but down here, the air is still. The cloudy sky bathes the scene in diffuse light. As I approach the clearing, I spot something orange. A young fox basking on the concrete under a telephone pole. What a lovely sight. A second later, another fox comes bounding out of the tall grass; she dashes around the meadow playfully, looking for imaginary prey… A child’s play. I unpack the gear, very carefully, and creep closer. I hope the fox comes closer. When she’s about 15 m away, I’m about to take a photo… I reconsider. I’ll wait a little longer, I think to myself. I don’t want to repeat yesterday’s mistake. I was crouching down on the dirt road leading from the meadow, and the fox apparently wanted to leave, which meant she was heading straight towards me. In my camo dress, I blended well with the surroundings. An older fox would have already become suspicious. The younger one before me, by contrast, seemed to find me interesting – something new. She didn’t let herself be distracted, marking her territory a few times, then carrying on towards me.

She came to within 4 or 5 m, and that was the right moment for a photo. I took tens of photos in just a few seconds… The fox spotted me, got frightened and ran off into the dense brush.

I got several superb close-up photos. What a wonderful experience. I returned to this spot several times in the following days and saw quite a few animals: fawns, a male deer, female deer, a fox and a badger. No doubt about it – there’s a lot going on just 500 m from my house.

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