A Nice Place to Nap

Upstate New York is in the midst of a severe drought—July, August, and September were the driest on record. So when I approached a beaver pond in Beechwood State Park (Sodus, NY), I wasn't surprised to see it nearly drained. What I didn't expect was an Eastern Red Fox sound asleep in the middle of a collection of fallen tree trunks and branches, clearly exhausted from a busy night hunting voles, mice, and other small prey.

I've never had much luck capturing fox photos that tell a story, but I think this one does. She must have felt remarkably safe on her bedding of reeds and sedges—she didn't stir once as I watched from about 30 yards away, a distance that would normally send her scurrying for cover.