Yellow-bellied Marmot pup standing up on some rocks – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Two days ago I spent time observing and photographing a Yellow-bellied Marmot family and it was such fun to photograph them. I’d seen other marmots that morning from a distance but at this burrow I was able to get frame filling images of this marmot family.
Yellow-bellied Marmot pup sitting on rocks near its burrow – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
As far as I can tell there is only one Yellow-bellied Marmot pup at this burrow and this pup seems more advanced in age than the pups I photographed at this same burrow last year in early April. Maybe by being the only offspring marmots pups grow faster or perhaps with climate change the marmots will adapt and breed earlier than they have historically? I don’t know for sure but I do know that if there is only one pup at this burrow I will miss out on photographing the cute interactions between sibling marmots there.
Big male Yellow-bellied Marmot – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
For the first time I also saw a big, burly male Yellow-bellied Marmot at this burrow, it doesn’t look like he lost an ounce during his winter hibernation! He was definitely larger than the female who was nearby and he dwarfed the pup when he was near it.
The male’s face and body was darker than the female but from what I understand there is a lot of variation in the fur of this species so I wouldn’t say that being darker indicates that a marmot is a male. Besides, I have a few photos of his rear end where his gender was revealed by his anatomy. 🙂
Female Yellow-bellied Marmot keeping watch over her pup – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The female Yellow-bellied Marmot spent most her time keeping watch on her pup while warming up in the morning sun.
Alert female Yellow-bellied Marmot – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Two noisy pickups went by and the female stayed right where she was but when a sedan went by the female dove for cover and then came back into view. That could indicate she is used to truck traffic more than sedans.
Yellow-bellied Marmot pup exploring its world – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The Yellow-bellied Marmot pup spent most of its time exploring the area around its burrow, climbing up and down the rocks, sitting, standing, scratching its fur, looking around and being a marmot pup in the wild where they belong.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Yellow-bellied Marmot photos plus facts and information about this species.
Nice shots. Good detail.
I would be absolutely thrilled to pass some time by watching this Marmot family. 🙂
These are some great shots!
Many thanks for sharing!