Frost

It was late fall, and it was a slow day on the tundra for wildlife. This little Arctic fox was a welcome sight! We had been out on the tundra in search of polar bears for most of the day and had little success finding any. Just one brief encounter with a bear who was in a position that was not ideal for quality photographs to be made.

One of the wonderful things about the shoreline of Western Hudson Bay are the opportunities to have encounters with several amazing species of wildlife. This Arctic fox was nestled down in the rocks, taking protection from the cold winds coming off the bay. The fox had a clear line of sight to see us approach across the tundra, it would clearly have seen us well before we spotted it.

As we slowly approached it became apparent that the fox was accepting of our presence. We ended up spending upwards of three hours with the fox. It slept most of the time, but on several occasions would stand up, circle around, stretch, yawn and get comfortable again. A few times, the fox would relocate to a different rock before settling back down out of the wind.

These opportunities allowed me to have several different looks and behaviours to capture. This encounter was one of my favourites of 2020.