A very generous tip!

The vast majority of my photography is a result of chance. Some of it though, comes from the generosity of others and for that I am very grateful.

On this particular day, in was out on a photo walk with my parents and our aim was to simply see what we'd see. We didn't have much in the way of expectations. It was springtime, meaning we were likely going to see something of interest. It's my favourite time of year to photograph wildlife, because it all comes flooding back to town. For those of you out there who don't live in a region where you'll experience frigid northern winter, wildlife becomes VERY sparse. If wildlife is your main area of focus, you may come up empty handed much more often, despite working extra hard for it.

Getting back to the story, we were walking a local trail in Winnipeg when one of us spotted a Pileated Woodpecker nearby. We were all thrilled to see it, but I remember my Mother being the most thrilled. I thought it was really sweet to see how excited she was.

As I was maneuvering my camera in my hands, a friendly couple walked past us and asked if we had "seen the fox kits yet." My jaw dropped and my eyes lit up as I responded with a resounding, "No!" I had been wondering for years if I'd ever have a chance to photograph something that cool and that rare. I suppose this couple saw our cameras and thought they'd offer us a kind gesture. They explained approximately where in the forest to go, so go we did.

It was a decent distance away, so we hustled! As we approached the area they described, sure enough, there was the mother fox and her kits. Foxes are rare enough for me, so the kits blew me away! I couldn't believe how lucky I felt to see them.

Goodness they were adorable! Not just in their looks, but also in their mannerisms. We kept our distance for some time to see how they'd react and to our surprise, they seemed quite comfortable with us nearby. They stayed near their home, but were curious enough to pop their heads out and play right in front of us. I don't know if I've ever laughed that much photographing any other animal. It was great!

But in an effort to keep from stressing them out, we stayed for a few minutes, snapped some photos and decided to move on.

A few days later, my Dad and I couldn't help but go back. We didn't know how much longer they'd be around. We got up good and early, made our way back, then set up quietly on the trail to wait for them to come out of their home. While I waited in one spot, I got to photograph an Eastern Phoebe and some Canada Geese. Not only did I see Geese, but I witnessed one of the most impressive duels I've ever seen between two Geese during mating season (see below).

Eastern Phoebe perched atop a branch overlooking a river.

Most goose fights that I've seen, last all of 5 seconds. This one went on for a good minute straight. They fought above the water, a little under the water and along the riverbank. My eyes were pretty wide while taking that in. It was intense! I thought for sure one would walk away injured, but despite that intensity, both seemed to walk away unscathed.

After a good wait, those fox kits emerged from the den, one at a time. Between my Father and I, we counted 5 total. They played, showed curiosity in us, and eventually began moving closer. Enough so that we felt we should step back. Again, we didn't want them getting too comfortable with people. My father and I were grinning from ear to ear. Once again, we were satisfied with our photos, so we packed up and went back home, eager to go through and make edits. These are those photos below:

I was glad we went back when we did, because in no time at all, their presence became very well known. I met one very pleasant Winnipeg photographer on that second visit, but otherwise my Dad and I had the place to ourselves.

It's worth mentioning again that I may not have had this experience, had that lovely couple not mentioned the whereabouts of the foxes to us. So, for those of you out there who have helped by offering a sighting tip to me at one point or another, thank you! The encounters I've had as a result, have made this whole photography thing THAT much more enjoyable for me. :)