San Miguel Island foxes

I spotted three individual island foxes while camping on San Miguel Island which made for a very special and all too brief trip to Channel Islands National Park. This is my fourth subspecies sighting of island foxes and the most elusive of the northern Channel Islands subspecies according to fox biologists I've interacted with. I'm able to tell them apart by their ears and one of them being collared, the tracking being funded by everyone's support of Friends of the Island Fox. I encountered another on a trail in the dark and was unable to capture a photo, though it may have been one of these three. I also caught nocturnal images and video with my camera trap placed near our tent which may or may not be a different fox, as the ear outlines aren't clear.

Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

A fox biologist held this southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) briefly for us to admire.

Northern elephant seal cow (Mirounga angustirostris)

Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) off of Santa Cruz Island

Island fox "hunt"

What I'm most hoping for when I visit Channel Islands National Park is to see these pint-sized apex predators thriving in their home and ignoring us.  The ranger who met us at the pier for orientation mentioned that some of the foxes are so tame they'll get up on the picnic tables to join us for lunch.  My husband knows how much I love them and wondered aloud what my reaction would be if one hopped up next to me and begged.  As tempted as I might be to make a little friend for the moment, I would not share my food with an island fox. Everything I’ve read about them has taught me that it's in their best interest to forage for native fruits and hunt insects, island deer mice and reptiles. Even snakes.

This fox was wandering around the campground sniffing for dropped snacks and sat down in the sun before curling up to take a short nap as I came closer. It got up again after it drew a larger crowd.

One person wondered aloud if it was breathing.

After walking about a mile from the campground into Scorpion Canyon, I caught sight of alert, cinnamon-colored ears glowing high on the canyonside. Unlike our fox sighting on Santa Rosa Island, we had more time to linger and observe its behavior without fear of missing the boat back to Ventura.

These are heavily cropped 400mm shots of it hunting a snake, quite likely a Santa Cruz Island gophersnake judging by its slightly spotted underside, but I can't say for certain. It cached its prey after biting it behind its neck while shaking it furiously and then continued hunting. There's quite likely a den nearby with fox kits on the way given the time of year.

Santa Cruz Island fox (Urocyon littoralis subspecies santacruzae ) spotted!

Prey located…

The pounce!

Even shooting at 1/400 second, its forehead and ears are ablur here because it was shaking that snake so hard.

You might be able to see faint markings on the unfortunate snake’s underside if you’re checking out this post on a quality monitor.

It appeared to nibble for awhile and then cache its kill.

The hunt continues.

The recovery of this species is a conservation success story and you can read about it here if you're unfamiliar with it. If you'd like to help continue research efforts, consider sending Friends of the Island Fox a few bucks.

Santa Cruz Island has inspired a number of my mixed media paintings. Clicking or tapping on the images of them below will take you to prints of them at Pixel.com.

Anacapa Vista. Transparent watercolor and powdered soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 14" x 19" (36 x 48cm).

Two Ravens. Transparent watercolor and powdered soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 13" x 19" (33 x 48cm).

In Search of Island Foxes. Transparent watercolor and powdered soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 13" x 19" (33 x 48cm).