June 7, 2012
Swift Fox Kit in the Pawnee National Grassland, Colorado

Yesterday with the Swift Foxes in the Pawnee National Grassland was much better for watching than photography. The vixen and kits were out when we first came near the den in the morning so we approached slowly and as quietly as possible. The vixen headed up over the hill and the kits stayed out for a short time in wonderful light (above), but the photo ops weren't the most exciting.

There were scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening, and they didn't seem to discourage the foxes from being out of the den when it wasn't actively raining. Unfortunately, the thick cloud cover to the west never broke and it was quite dark and dull for photography. The kits were all out and playing right up until sunset and we decided to stay and watch instead of disturbing them. About 20 minutes after sunset, the dad came trotting over the hill and the vixen went out to greet him. They mutually groomed each other for a while, then the vixen headed off. The dad approached the den, something he had never done while we were there before. The kits came out and greeted him, then he moved off a bit to keep tabs on the area. When large drops of water started falling, the kits went back in the den and I think the dad headed off to his "man cave" — it was too dark to keep track of him.