Red Fox carnage

Seeing carnage unfold

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On this day, I was at a Least Tern colony at sunrise, hoping to capture the newly born chicks running about the sand. The colony seemed to be tense evident by the chatter that was much louder than in previous days, and much of the colony was up in the air. After a period of time shooting some chicks, I found the source of the colony’s alarm. A Red Fox had invaded them, creating a mass frenzy among the birds. I watched helplessly as the fox strutted about the colony sniffing the ground to find unhatched eggs and then eating them whole. I assumed the fox was chasing down chicks as well. Although I knew what I was observing was part of the circle of life, in my heart I hoped the chicks could hide from this predator. Surprisingly, none of the parent birds were dive bombing the fox to thwart it. Left unimpeded, the fox created a scene of carnage across the colony. This photograph captures the tragic moment a Least Tern chick, barely a few days old, is devoured by a hungry fox. So sad, but so evident and telling of the fragility of wildlife.

Done