Readers’ wildlife photos

December 4, 2016 • 7:30 am

Two shots by Garry VanGelderen from Ontario:

Here are three shots of a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) that visits our back yard almost daily. They are a little off on colour as they are taken through glass.

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The same fox was seen catching a squirrel just this afternoon [December 2]:


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And four photos by Stephen Barnard from Idaho.

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in flight, a Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus), and a shot over the creek on a cold morning.

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11 thoughts on “Readers’ wildlife photos”

  2. My Maggie would be jealous of the fox who CAN actually catch a squirrel!

    The pair of mallards flying is a real treat. That milky soft background sets off the crisp, bright birds especially well.

    1. I have to give all the critters a chance to run up trees when I let my dog out because she can easily catch them. I usually yell out the door, “run squirrels!” or “run chippies!” Sometimes I have to yell a couple times because the squirrels don’t believe me & want to keep eating.

      1. “Sometimes I have to yell a couple times because the squirrels don’t believe me”

        Try yelling in French. It’s all about accommodation.

        Here’s an idea: You might want to work out protocols for an experiment in natural selection. Illustrate the red queen phenomenon.

  5. Stephen, I cannot tell from the photo but do you get the yellow-shafted or the yellow-shafted form of flicker in your neck of the woods/plains/mountains?

  6. Sorry to see the squirrel go down to the fox, even though I know it’s the way of nature. Do love the look of the foxes and what’s not to love in a name like Vulpes vulpes?

    Carl Kruse

  7. What a gorgeous fox!

    Stephen, why are there no trees on those hills? What amazing frost in the foreground–that picture shouts COLD!

    1. They don’t get enough moisture. This is high desert. The flat valley bottom is an ancient lake bed, sitting atop an enormous aquifer fed mostly by snow melt, which is the source of many springs. The higher elevations get enough moisture to support trees.

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