Looking southwest from the Mount Nebo Scenic BywayLooking southwest from the Mount Nebo Scenic Byway

Yesterday I went wandering on the Mount Nebo Scenic Byway and although it wasn’t “birdy”  it was a beautiful drive and I enjoyed it immensely. The air was fresh, the sky was clear and the scenery was a delight. The 37 mile byway is located in the Uinta National Forest in Juab and Utah Counties which are south of Salt Lake City.

Mount NeboMount Nebo

Mount Nebo’s northern peak reaches an elevation of 11,928 feet and at the summit of the scenic byway the elevation is 9,345 feet. The cooler air temperature at the high elevations felt wonderful after several days of high 90’s and low 100’s in the Salt Lake Valley. I was hoping to see some raptors or possibly some Black Bears but that wasn’t to be.

Least Chipmunk on the Mount Nebo Scenic BywayLeast Chipmunk on the Mount Nebo Scenic Byway

But I did see some interesting mammals that included a baby Yellow-bellied Marmot and adult that scurried across some rocks at one of the lookouts, unfortunately I wasn’t able to get images of them before they dropped out of sight.

I was able to create a series of images of the Least Chipmunk in the image above after descending from the summit of the byway.

Least Chipmunk walking down a rockLeast Chipmunk walking down a rock

Chipmunks have fascinated me since I saw my first one as a child, I love their big, dark eyes, their masked faces, the stripes on their backs and the amazing energy they appear to have as they scurry hither and yon. So, I didn’t get any great bird images but it isn’t always about the photos for me, it is also about the journey into nature.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Least Chipmunk photos plus facts and information about this species.