Photographing Uinta Ground Squirrels In A Wasatch Mountain Canyon
Two days ago while up in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains I was able to finally realize a personal goal while photographing Uinta Ground Squirrels.
Two days ago while up in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains I was able to finally realize a personal goal while photographing Uinta Ground Squirrels.
I didn't get any photos of the Uinta Ground Squirrels while I was up in the canyons last week and I will need to fix that soon because I adore these furry, dark-eyed ground squirrels.
I photographed this White-tailed Antelope Squirrel in 2016 near Torrey in Wayne County, Utah, the squirrel was resting on a boulder a couple hundred yards away from where I was camping.
I had a blast photographing these baby Uinta Ground Squirrels and sharing them with my Mom. It was a peaceful, relaxing morning filled with birds, squirrels, lovely scenery and great company.
May... the month where baby Uinta Ground Squirrels seem to show up everywhere within their favorite habitats which include shrubsteppe habitat, meadows and pastures with elevations of between 4,000 and 8,010 feet in areas of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.
I'm sharing two Uinta Ground Squirrel photos taken two days ago a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains, one adult that was wet from the morning dew and one baby that was just outside of its burrow.
There were three Uinta Ground Squirrels in the riparian zone along East Canyon Creek and I felt that I had to take photos of them in the bright, clear light, they were so cute.
One of the Uinta Ground Squirrels stood up and simply looked around right on the shoulder of the road and I couldn't resist photographing it.
I was very happy to photograph this Uinta Ground Squirrel calling from a lichen covered boulder last week in southwestern Montana.
By doing more research I found out that Uinta and Richardson's Ground Squirrels and the rest of the ground squirrels in North America have been changed to Urocitellus.
Uinta Ground Squirrels are the most plentiful mammals I see during the summer months in the Centennial Valley.
Even though Uinta Ground Squirrels are called pests, vermin and varmints by some people I happen to like them a lot as photographic subjects.
Every time I see this image of this Richardson's Ground Squirrel I have to laugh because of how full its mouth is.
Earlier this week I was enthralled to see the Alaska Basin that straddles Idaho and Montana and winds through Beaverhead National Forest and Targhee National Forest.
There are many mammals to see at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana, I haven't seen them all yet but I hope to one day. On this last trip I saw Moose, Elk, Skunks, Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, Foxes, White-tailed and Mule Deer, Yellow-bellied Marmots, and Pronghorns.
Farmers don't like Richardson's Ground Squirrels much, they dig holes that could break the legs on livestock and eat grains and the shoots of plants, I can understand those concerns. But I have to say... I love them, they are fun to watch and photograph.