An hour with a Red Fox

Since I moved last june, I had a few encounters with Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), my first ones ever. I was not even looking for foxes, not going to a special spot to find them, not waiting in a hide. But luckily I had the chance to see some regularly in the last months. First a mom with 2 cubs near Veyrier on a morning spent with other bird and nature lovers. Then 2 adults in a field right next to where I live. Then another one a bit further a couple of weeks later during an evening jog. And then, this encounter, in the area of Marais de Sionnet, where I saw my first  Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) that same day:

Light was fading when I noticed a silhouette moving slowly in a field right next to another field where 14 Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) were looking for food. 4 males Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) were only a few hundreds of meters away, but it definitely seemed bigger than that  :). Quickly I understood it was a fox, the first I would see there. I was stunned. I then spent about an hour staying still or almost, staring at it. It definitely noticed me, but it did not run away. I was happy to see I was not bothering it.

Now that I know I can see foxes in different places a few minutes only from where I live, I will definitely try to spend more time out there hoping to have more encounters and get to know better this fabulous animal. Thankfully, in the canton of Geneva, hunting is forbidden since 1974 when 72% of the population voted in favor of its interdiction.

Love Nature.
Jonathan