Winter Wanderings: Foxes and Wildlife at Erimo Town

On a certain day in March, I went to Erimo Town in search of foxes still wearing their winter coats.

Overlooking Cape Erimo from Hyakunin Beach

Even though it was March, the cold and strong winds persisted, so I couldn’t skip my cold weather precautions.

The wind speed that day was about 12 meters per second. According to the locals, it’s like “there’s no wind blowing,” but despite that, my energy and body heat were rapidly being sapped away.

In the cold, I parked my car at the entrance of Hyakunin Beach and peeked out from a small sand dune, only to see deer running across the beach. Despite deer being so common on the roads, the ones wandering Hyakunin Beach immediately bolted at the sound of my footsteps about 200 meters away.

With a bit more skill (and a telephoto lens), I might have been able to capture some wild shots. I wish I had a Nikkor Z 800mm F6.3 or Nikkor Z 600mm F4. (Nikkor Z 200-600 would do as well.)

With the Nikon Z9 and a 70-200mm F2.8 (+TC2.0) lens hanging from my neck, I noticed a large shadow circling nearby.

Erimo Town, nestled right next to nature, is, in my amateur opinion, the perfect spot to capture some decent photos. During the harsh winter months, you can even spot white-tailed eagles perched on power lines alongside crows. (*Though I believe this photo isn’t of a white-tailed eagle.)

As my body heat continued to diminish, I searched for the fluffy fox. Just then, I spotted a fox that neither approached nor retreated as I drew near.
Since it turned its back whenever I pursued, I followed slowly.

A short walk away, I came across a bush where a fox sat down and looked directly at me, so I snapped a photo. It would be nice if humans could be captured in such a natural way, but I still have a lot of practice to do… The logo of the Z9 seems to be crying, doesn’t it?