Rock Squirrel at the top of a Juniper tree – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/6400, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
A soft blue sky, a juniper and a Rock Squirrel made me pretty happy two days ago because I don’t have these squirrels in my viewfinder nearly as often as I’d like to. Most of our ground squirrels went into hibernation months ago but Rock Squirrels are active during the winter except for the coldest days of the year.
When I first spotted this Rock Squirrel I couldn’t quite make out what it was because of the angle of sunlight but after moving further down the mountain slope I was delighted to have a clear view of the squirrel.
This is a simple image really but it is one I have been trying to take for several years. I’ve taken other images of Rock Squirrels at the top of junipers but the light angle has been wrong, the squirrels were mostly buried in the junipers or the shooting angle was to0 steep. Everything about this Rock Squirrel photo feels just right to me.
Plus I was above the inversion so the clear sky looked great!
Life is good.
Mia
By the way, I didn’t need to have my ISO and shutter speed so high for this squirrel, I had just forgotten to set it back to my default settings.
Click here to see more of my Rock Squirrel photos plus facts and information about this species.
Great image! Love it!!!
I like the point of view and the tension in the squirrel’s body as it balances on those fine branches.
Yes, very nice shot! I got a picture of one eating a butterfly this summer…surprised me to see the butterfly when I developed the image.
Nice shot!
These guys do have quite a bushy tail.