WildView™

October 15, 2024

Fox on the Rocks

- as seen by -

Megan Maher, Julie Larsen, John Delaney

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The craggy coast of Campobello Island stands tall above us as we cruise along in the local waters between Lubec, Maine, and New Brunswick, Canada.

Whales, dolphins, seabirds, and other marine life live in the seascape that surrounds an assortment of coniferous-covered islands. From a distance, the archipelago looks like a prickle of porcupines afloat on the Bay of Fundy.

Suddenly, there is the slightest movement among the mossy rocks. We turn our cameras from the water to the shore. We realize the rusty flash of color is not vegetation, but a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) on a mission. Something has caught the canid’s attention. It climbs quickly to the roof of the rocks to what looks like snow cover. Upon inspection through a telephoto lens, it is a mass of white feathers, left over, perhaps, from another predator’s meal.

The red fox is an opportunistic feeder known to hunt by smell, sound, and sight. It is likely not drawn to the beauty of the area as we are, but prospecting for dinner.

Nikon D5

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