Image of the Week

Cavorting Arctic fox kits, Hornsund. ©️Karen Povey, 2017

This northern summer I voyaged to Svalbard Archipelago with a host of adventure travellers, including Karen Povey, a passionate nature enthusiast, wildlife conservationist and all round good sort to have aboard an Arctic voyage.

Karen is a talented photographer, so when I saw this gobsmacking* photo feature on the cover of the trip’s voyage log, I invited her to share her image and the story behind it. Over to you, Karen:

My July trip to Svalbard was truly one of my life’s highlights. One favorite experience was our landing in Hornsund on the archipelago’s main island of Spitsbergen. We scrambled, often on hands and knees, high up a nearly vertical slope of dense moss to the base of a kittiwake nesting cliff. As we clung to our precarious perch an arctic fox appeared, effortlessly trotting by, nose to the earth. Astonished, we watched the fox briskly snatch up chicks that had fallen from the rocks above. Soon its mate appeared and they alternated foraging forays, mouths stuffed with downy prey. Upon descent, it became apparent why they worked so hard in this brief season of plenty – they had a den occupied by at least eight active youngsters! Watching the kits tumbling in play while we stood yards away was beyond thrilling. I don’t know how long we stayed transfixed, immersed in the awe of nature (and the dedication of parents!) in this amazing place.

A second image from Karen to complete the story: Many mouths to feed. ©️Karen Povey, 2017

©️Karen Povey

My thanks to Karen for sharing her fabulous Arctic fox images, along with this self portrait taken in the Cascades: an outdoor girl just enjoying the back yard of her home state of Washington, USA.

*I couldn’t resist an excuse to slip in ‘gobsmacking’, a new Australian word that featured during our voyage 😉

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12 thoughts on “Image of the Week

  1. Gobsmacking photos and an interesting read too. Thanks to Karen – she has a great eye and taken some wonderful photos.

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  2. Great snaps! You have to wonder at the intensity of that love. Vixen are sometimes known to eat the cubs of other vixen.

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    • Hi Lynne, that’s a fascinating observation, in a gruesome fashion! I know in the old trapping days that when a fox was caught in a trap, most of the time killed instantly, but not always, they were sometimes cannibalized by other foxes. A dog-eat-dog world… 🦊🦊🦊

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  3. Thanks Robyn.

    Lovely pic. Lucky people.

    Tony S

    On Sat, 11 Nov 2017 at 1:51 pm, writing the wild wrote:

    > Robyn M posted: ” Cavorting Arctic fox kits, Hornsund. ©Karen Povey, 2017 > This northern summer I voyaged to Svalbard Archipelago with a host of > adventure travellers, including Karen Povey, a passionate nature > enthusiast, wildlife conservationist and all round good sort” >

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    • Hi there, Narelle, Those little foxes will be dressed in their white winter coats by now. I wonder how they’re finding their first winter on their own. Yes, fab photos from Karen. Thanks for checking in. 👌

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