We are VERY fierce! We will eviscerate you if you touch our MOM!

[Callie de Wet]

Saw this family about 07h30 and spend time with them, that is why we missed the cheetah kill on Xmas! They were quite far off the road but so cute, 4 of them suckling on MOM. There were six cub, the one is still in the den below the other one whose head only is protruding! ~ About 25 km on the Mata Mata Rd north of Twee Rivieren ~ Bateared Fox, Otocyon megalotis, Kingdom: Animalia (Animals), Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrates), Class: Mammalia (Mammals), Carnivora: (Carnivores), Canidae: (Foxes, Jackal and Wild Dog) ~ D300S 600 4f + 1.4 TC ~ ISO 800 ~ F8 ~ 1/400 ~ AP ~ Matrixx ~ 07h30, the sun rising over the dune into the lens, they were still in the early morning shade. Slected most of BG, run Noise reduction, copied subjects with the immediate BG surrounding them to new layer, ran Smart sharpen and collapesd. Reduced. Crop is about 70 % of original.

[Marc Mol]

Beautiful image (and title:D) Callie of this Bat-eared Fox family, well done capturing this elusive species, I've only ever managed to see glimpses at night.
Good light and great comp of the family at their den site and you've managed to get ALL of their attention.
TFS

[Danny J Brown]

Hi Callie - Thanks for sharing this moment. I can't stop starting at these awkward-looking little fellas, especially the one down in the hole. What a responsibility for mama to take care of all of these tykes. This image is a real treat!

[Kiran Khanzode]

Eye contact from all 6 of them is precious...I love this image, bat-eared fox pups...nice !!

[Morkel Erasmus]

sweet sighting and I can understand that you spent some time here...hey if you knew there would be a cheetah kill it'd be a different story.

processing looks good here - just check when selecting the BG in the immediate focusing plane of the animals that you select the entire range of the focusing plane :). the NR effects around the cubs on the left aren't on the same plane as the NR around the mother.

[Marc Mol]

the NR effects around the cubs on the left aren't on the same plane as the NR around the mother.

Agree Morkel, although I think it may be the selective USM wasn't quite selective enough, with wholesale BG being included, rather than selecting each pup & mum only.

[Betsie Storm]

Beautiful capture Callie, and in that great early light. Bat eared foxes are my absolute favourite mammals so I would have left the cheetah kill for this- only have some far-away images of them. The little one peeking out of the den is precious.

[Ken Watkins]

This makes me really jealous, I have very few images of one of natures most beautiful creatures. Just some video!
I really do not care that there maybe technical faults as it just makes me happy to see this little family.

[Vida van der Walt]

What a wonderful sighting and a beautiful image Callie. Ditto eye contact and the little ones are sooo cute!

[Callie de Wet]

Thanks guys, I appreciate.:) One of the greatest frustrations is that we often see the most unusual sights just at the edge or outside the edge of my longest lens! like a crocodile and a leopard having a tug of war with a dead crocodile. We watched it for 1.5 hours, but even at 1000mm it was just small figures on the slide!If only this was in the sunlight too. but it was a sweet few minutes we spend here. Dad was just up the dune to the right of Mom on the frame. When we first saw her, she was suckling about 4 of them! The awkward side lighting just does not make for a great image, but maybe RAW will cure that. Will see in June when we go leopard hunting in Sabi Sands about RAW:D!

[Stu Bowie]

Hey Callie, wanted to post my comment this morning, but work got in the way. Eye contact from twelve eyes, what else could you ask for. Comp wise, I would maybe take a tad off the top. Great sighting, and well captured.