Photographer Ian Murray wins international award for fox photo

A Nova Scotia photographer's sweet image of a red fox mother and her baby foxhas won first place in an American wildlife photography contest.

Ian Murray of Wallace River spent May through July watching the fox family this summer to capturethe tender moment.

"The foxes were great: their shyness at first, then their acceptance of me once they knew I was no threat. And best of all was their interactions between themselves and especially with their mother," he told CBC News.

"She was,is such a good, attentive mom. She almost wasted away to nothing over the summer as she put all her energy into hunting and bringing home food for the babies."

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He watched a familiar familial story unfold as the five cubs grew up near Wallace River and wandered ever-further from home. Eventually they left home completely to start their own lives.

"It was very satisfying," Murray says of his weekly photo sessions.

The winningimage, called Momma and Baby Red Fox, earned him first prize in the American NationalWildlife Federation Photo Contestin the baby animals category. It will appear in the winter edition of National Wildlife magazine and online.

He beat out 6,765 entries from around the world. Last year, he took top spot in the American Bald Eagle Photo Contest.

Murray started Wallace River Photography in 2009; not surprisingly, he specializes in wildlife.