Tag: wildlife photography

For the mothers…

The traditional definition of a mother lacks fluidity. It bestows a female parent with nurturing qualities whether they exist or don’t. It makes assumptions about parenting based on that definition that may or may not be true. Unfortunately, court systems are notorious for making these kinds of assumptions. I hope to see that change in my lifetime.

I know mothers of all kinds. Great ones, horrific ones, kind ones, damaging ones. I’m one of the lucky ones to have, not only a birth mother who is an amazing, loving, dynamic woman, but other women in my life who have played important roles.

Today we celebrate those mothers however they come—with two-legged or four-legged children. May you all have a great day!

Note: The bear above was quickly photographed with a telephoto lens from the safety of our vehicle. Its mother was standing close by, ready to defend and protect.

Homesteading…

We stopped on a snow-bermed road when a bright patch of orange—slightly off from the colors surrounding it—caught my eye. I’m glad we did because he might be the most beautiful of red foxes I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. He wasn’t concerned about our presence. A stubbly field separated us.

Foxes, like dogs, are members of the canidae family. While reading up on them I discovered that the remains of a man and a fox were found together in a Jordan cemetery four thousand years before the first known human and domestic dog were buried together. The setting for this photograph appealed to me a great deal. The snow load was too heavy for the old cabin, sturdy as it might once have been, and the fox appeared to have made it his homestead.

Last year, in the same area, we came across a vixen and kits. She was introducing them to their meal, a large ground squirrel. The cycle of life.