Hunting Mice

Hi all! My wife joined Jenaya and I for one of our regular evening drives around the countryside here in SW Alberta the other day, and we spotted this fox working through some debris hunting mice.

I managed to get the truck pulled over and Jenaya handed me her camera as the fox was on my side, and he was kind enough to strike a pose for a second or two before continuing his hunt. Eventually he disappeared between two deserted buildings, and we relocated in hopes of spotting him again. Sure enough, he trotted out, proudly holding a mouse. Sadly we weren't able to capture any images of him with his prize, but Jenaya did manage this beautiful portrait here after he poked his head back up from a snowdrift he had trotted behind.

The old railway rail and all the discarded pails make for a striking image, I think, both in the dramatic colours (I desaturated the blues and dropped their levels a bit as they were too intense for my liking as recorded), and in the statement their presence implies. There's no doubt the red fox is one of the species that seems to have adapted most well to North Americans unyielding march into the wilds, but I'd still rather have had this guy pose on a snow-covered hill of natural Alberta grass.

That being said, after tracking this guy a few more days recently, I have to say this mostly-deserted railway station and small settlement near our home has made an unbelieveable habitat for mice, and frankly this fox could not have found a spot with much higher a concentration of prey I think, nor one with more hiding spots from danger (and determined wildlife photographers, I might add!).

Thanks for viewing...your comments and critiques are always welcome!

Nikon D300
Nikkor AF-S 200-400mm f/4 VR IF-ED w/ TC-14EII
ISO 400
1/400sec @ f/8
+0.7 EV because of surrounding snow (+0.3 or 0 would have been better, I think)
on beanbag from truck window
cropped to app. 85% of original