Every now and then, but not very often, I get the opportunity to study and photograph a species that is new to me. With nearly 4000 species of mammal in the world and over 9000 species of bird and countless reptiles and amphibians this is saying something.

In just the past week I had the chance to travel to a undisclosed location in the Dakotas to study and photograph a Swift Fox (Vulpes velox). I think most people are familiar with the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and some may even be family with the Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) but the Swift Fox is not known to many so this is a great opportunity.

The Swift Fox is a tiny fox that is tan to light brown. Sometimes it’s yellowish with black frosting especially on the tail. It has a white chin, chest and belly. Fairly large ears in comparison to its tiny head. A large fluffy tail that is nearly the size of its body. What is amazing about this fox is the size. The swifty is only 15 to 20 inches long and stands only 12 inches high. Now here is the crazy part, it weighs only 3-7 pounds. This is compared to the Red Fox which is 7-15 pounds. Most domestic dogs weight more than this.

After a long drive and much scouting by myself and another wildlife photographer we were able to locate an active den. There was a single fox sleeping on the pile of dirt at the den’s entrance. After waiting for several hours the fox retreated into the den. At that moment we had to spring into action. We dressed up in our ghillie suites (complete camouflage) and mounted our cameras on our tripods. We spent the next fifteen minutes slowly crawling out towards the den hiding behind slight ridges next to a stream. There wasn’t a tree for miles in all directions so there was nothing to hide behind. When we got within 250 feet we sat down in the tall grass and trained the cameras and long lens on the den site. Now all we had to do was wait.

The ground was damp from the recent rains and the air temperature was in the high 50’s so sitting on the ground without any protection was not the most comfortable position. We sat in silence as the hours passed. It was early afternoon and there was about four to five hours before sunset. We were prepared to stay until dark. This is when the tedium of wildlife photography is the worst, but I was so excited to be this close to a threatened species that even the cold wet ground and long hours wasn’t damping our spirits.

Suddenly I spotted some movement to my left and turned my head to see what turned out to be the male Swift Fox running, or more accurately, bounding through the tall dried grass heading for the den. He looked as light weight and happy as a fox could be bounding over clumps of grass. I swung my camera over to see if I could capture the action. Several frames later the fox arrived at the den. He looked around briefly before entering the den. Before we had a chance to check out the captures on the back of the camera the male popped back out of the den followed by the female. She immediately laid down in front of the male and he started to groom her ears.

Rarely have I’ve seen so much tenderness and loving care as these two foxes showed each other. The male took his time to groom each of her ears before moving onto the top of her head. The expression on her face said it all. She was happy with all the attention.

Over the next four days we sat on the cold wet ground and waited for our opportunities to capture some amazing images and study the behaviors of this tiny critter. We photographed as the fox brought home food for his mate, cached extra food in the dirt, slept, and even while he waited for nearly an hour at the entrance of a prairie dog burrow in hopes of catching a dog for dinner. Over all it was an amazing experience. I will be returning in less than a week to see if we can get lucky and see the pups emerging from the den. Wish me luck. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. You can follow him on Twitter.com/stantekiela or on facebook.com.