Ms Elk enjoys a snack

I came upon this pretty female elk grazing in a meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  As I focused the camera, she looked right at me and smacked.  Then, almost as if she realized I had captured her in an inelegant moment, she quickly struck a more serious pose -- protruding grass stems and all.

A Family of Bighorn Sheep in Badlands National Park

Pair of Bighorn Sheep, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

While driving through Badlands National Park in South Dakota we came upon what appeared to be a nuclear family of Bighorn Sheep: a young ram, his apparent mate, and a small lamb.  In the mountains near our house in Colorado, we are accustomed to seeing Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) in herds. Occasionally we see a lone ram.  But in our experience, a threesome such as this is an unusual sight.

Now, there may have been more sheep nearby that we did not see.  These three individuals were quite near to the road, so perhaps the rest of the herd was just over the ridge that rose up behind them.  But that day we saw only these two young adults, a male and a female, and the little lamb.  The lamb was young enough that the vestige of its umbilical cord was still visible on its belly!

Below are some close-up photos of each of the individual sheep.

Bighorn Sheep ram

Bighorn Sheep ewe

Bighorn Sheep lamb

Ground Squirrel Says: "I Haz a Cornz"

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis)

I had been out photographing wildflowers, and on the way home I stopped at a scenic overlook near the edge of the town of Estes Park, Colorado.  I saw a man sprinkle an assortment of seeds and nuts on the ground for the squirrels and chipmunks known to hang out there.  A dozen or so critters showed up in a flash and began picking through the scattered bits searching for their favorites.

While most of the animals scampered about, stuffing their cheek pouches with as much as they could, this one little guy, a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, picked up a single item at a time and daintily nibbled at it.  By a stroke of luck, my trusty macro lens was already mounted on my camera, so I was able to snap a couple of close-up shots of the corn-eating squirrel.

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel eating corn

Buster in the doorway

Buster the cat, by the front door

It's been quite awhile since I posted a picture of our cat, Buster.  Here he is, sitting next to the open front door, seemingly lost in thought.  Maybe he is silently reflecting on his long and active life.

Buster had his 17th birthday this past summer, but as you can see, he is in quite good shape for a senior kitty.  He is very alert and healthy, save for some arthritis.  So, he sometimes goes down the stairs one at a time first thing in the morning, and he no longer leaps and jumps -- but he will still chase a toy across the floor.

Good kitty!

Drowsy Elk with an Itch

We were driving through a residential area in the mountain town of Estes Park, Colorado.  We came upon a bull elk who had decided to take his afternoon rest in a patch of sunlight right beside the road.  Not wanting to startle the drowsy animal, we eased off to the side of the road and stopped.  As quietly as possible, I stepped outside the car to take a few photos.

Elk resting by the roadside in Estes Park, Colorado

The elk stirred a bit, but did not get up.  As he turned his head toward me I was able to get a shot of his huge antlers.

Male Elk with beautiful antlers

Then he did something surprising.  He leaned his head back and began to scratch his back with his antlers.

Elk scratching his back with his antlers

He moved his head back and forth, rubbing his antlers across his back for about a half minute.

Elk scratching his back with his antlers

Judging from the expression of pure bliss on his face, he must have found just the right spot.  If he could have spoken, I think he would have said, "Ahhhh."

Elk says, "Ahhh - that's the spot!"

Itchy spot relieved, he resumed his nap.  We watched the big elk for a few more minutes, then slowly drove past him and went on our way.  He never stirred.

Male Elk at rest - Estes Park, Colorado

Critters blending in with their habitat

Blending in with the habitat is a survival advantage for creatures in the wild.  It is harder for predators to spot a critter who blends in well with its surroundings.  Wildlife photographers aren't exactly predators (we hope!), but sometimes we, too, have some difficulty spotting critters that blend well with their habitat.

Consider the photos series below.  In the first pair of photos an American Pika is  perched on a rock.  The color of its fur is so similar to that of the surrounding rocks that in the longer shot, the little animal almost could go unnoticed.

American Pika (Ochotona princeps)

American Pika - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

In the next pair of photos, a Yellow-bellied Marmot sits in repose.  This animal's larger size and golden color usually make it easier to spot amid the rocky background than the Pika .  In this instance, though, the critter just happened to stop next to a rock of a color similar to the animal's coat.  I do not know whether this was by intention or by chance, but it did make it tougher to get a photo in which the animal stood out from the background.

Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)

Yellow-bellied Marmot - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Both of these mountain-dwelling species prefer high-elevation habitats. I photographed these two individuals in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park near the base of the Tundra Communities Trail, at an elevation of around 12,000 feet (3,700 meters).

Here are some earlier posts on this blog with photos and more information about these two animals:

• American Pika (Ochotona princeps)
• Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)

Mug Shot: Bull Elk with a Broken Antler

Bull Elk in profile

Bull Elk portrait

Location:  Estes Park, Colorado

This Rocky Mountain Elk was drinking water at the edge of Estes Lake in Estes Park, Colorado.  He lifted his head as I approached to photograph him.  Looking through my camera's viewfinder I was happy to be able to get a nice profile shot, although I thought to myself that his antlers looked a little sparse.  Then he turned to face me and I realized that his antlers had been broken.  Poor guy must have had a rough winter!

Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Prairie dog colony in a suburb of Denver, Colorado.

Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are rodents that belong to the squirrel family, Sciuridae. In fact, they do look like over-sized ground squirrels, but without the stripes!  Although this species is called "black-tailed," only the tip of the animals' tails are black.

They are social animals, living in colonies.  The colonies are a complex of tunnels and burrows and can be home to hundreds of prairie dog families.  Although prairie dogs will eat insects such as grasshoppers, they are primarily herbivores.  Thus, grasslands and prairies are their preferred habitat.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Black-tailed Prairie Dogs are found in 11 States including Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.  The prairie dogs on this page were photographed in the Big Dry Creek Open Space in Westminster, Colorado -- a suburb of Denver.  This is one of many prairie dog colonies on the outskirts of the Denver area.

Shy Mule Deer

Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

Location:  Estes Park, Colorado, USA

While driving, I saw some deer grazing in a meadow near the road.  Armed with my ever-present camera, I stopped and got out of the car to photograph them.  The deer spotted me instantly and trotted into a stand of pine trees that bordered the meadow.  I waited a long time for them to re-emerge into the meadow so that I could get some clear shots, but they would not cooperate.  I had to be satisfied with a few images of the deer peeking at me through the tree branches.

Colorado Cutie: Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) 

Location: Estes Park, Colorado, USA

One of the cutest and friendliest wild critters in the mountains of Colorado is the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel.  They look like plump chipmunks, but without the eye stripe.  They are encountered frequently in parks, along hiking trails, and especially in picnic areas where they actively -- and sometimes aggressively -- beg for food.  Those tempted to offer these cute creatures a treat would do well to remember that while they may seem very tame, these are indeed wild animals, and they have been known to "bite the hand that feeds." 

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

A large member of the Squirrel family, the Yellow-bellied Marmot is known to live at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada mountains.  I photographed this individual in Rocky Mountain National Park near the Alpine Visitor Center at Fall River Pass, elevation 11,796 feet (3,595 meters).     

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, ready for hibernation

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) 

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA 

My friend and I were hiking on an established trail around Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.  We spotted a bench that overlooked the small lake, and decided to sit there to eat the sandwiches we had brought with us.  As soon as we unwrapped our food, this little guy appeared to beg for tidbits.  Although he was persistent to the point of being somewhat a pest, we didn't feed him.  Judging by his girth, he certainly was not starving!  In fact he looked very plump -- all ready for his winter hibernation.

Here is another photo of a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel that I posted earlier this year.

Bull Elk In Charge

Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

The photos above were taken in succession just a few seconds apart.  I had been photographing a small group of Elk cows that were grazing in a clearing in a pine forest in Rocky Mountain National Park. Suddenly this bull Elk came crashing through the trees at the edge of the clearing, and he was heading straight for me.  He trotted toward me at a pretty good pace, vocalizing as he approached.  I got the message immediately: "You leave my women alone!"

I made a hasty retreat -- probably not a moment too soon!  Satisfied that I had withdrawn an acceptable distance, Mr. Elk slowed his pace and then stopped, but he remained vigilant until I was completely out of sight.

Rocky Mountain Goat - Mount Evans, Colorado

Rocky Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus)

Location:  Mount Evans, Clear Creek County, Colorado, USA

This Rocky Mountain Goat probably is a male.  The two sexes of this species look very similar, but the males may have somewhat longer horns than the females, and males are most likely to appear alone rather than in small family groups.  We saw this solitary goat surveying the tundra at an elevation of about 12,000 feet, on Mount Evans, Colorado.

Mount Evans, not far from Denver, is one of Colorado's many "fourteeners" -- i..e. mountains whose summits rise to an elevation of more than 14,000 feet above sea level.  The height of the Mount Evans summit is 14,265 feet (4,348 meters).

American Pika (Ochotona princeps)

American Pika (Ochotona princeps)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

This cute little critter, which somewhat resembles a guinea pig in size and body shape, is a threatened species residing in rocky areas of the Colorado mountains.  We saw this one scurrying about on a steep rocky bank near the Rainbow Curve Overlook on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Pikas do not hibernate, so they must gather and store food to sustain them during the harsh Rocky Mountain winters.  During the summer, they collect bunches of grasses and other plants and set them out on rocks to dry into hay.  They store the hay in piles under boulders.

Scientists from the University of Colorado recently assessed "69 historical sites known to host pikas in a swath of the Southern Rockies ranging from southern Wyoming through Colorado and into northern New Mexico. The results showed that 65 of the 69 historical sites that had hosted pikas — some dating back more than a century — were still occupied." Here is the link to an article about that study of the Pikas' habitat.

Here is a YouTube video about the University of Colorado team's study of the Pikas.

Our Backyard Bunny: A Desert Cottontail

Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)

Location:  Westminster, Colorado, USA

This is a Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), a rabbit species found in the southwestern and Rocky Mountain states of the U.S., as well as northern and central Mexico.  One of this rabbit's noticeable features is the rust-colored patch of fur on the nape of its neck.  And like all cottontails, the underside of its tail is pure white.

Several times each day, we see this bunny hopping about in the yard at our house in Colorado, munching on grass and clover.  If someone approaches, the rabbit scampers away to hide beneath the lowest branches of a Colorado Spruce tree near the edge of the yard.  Most of these visits are in the early morning or very late in the afternoon.

Elk portrait

Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

Here is a female Rocky Mountain Elk.  Although elk are members of the deer family (Cervidae), the female is called a cow, not a doe.  This elk was photographed in early June, thus she is still sporting her shaggy winter coat.

Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus)

Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

This little critter's common name reflects its status as the smallest of all chipmunks. They are found throughout the western United States, especially in mountainous regions. They eat berries, seeds, and certain insects such as beetles and grasshoppers.

Here's looking at you, Ms. Elk

Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

Earlier this summer I posted photos of young male elk from Rocky Mountain National Park (here and here). Here is a portrait of a young female elk from the same herd.  Don't you love her eyelashes?

Young Male Elk with 'Antler Buds'

Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

Last month I snapped this photo of a young male elk in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park.  Note that he still has some of his shaggy winter coat.  Also, what will eventually become antlers are just beginning to grow from the animal's skull.

Here is a link to a photo of a slightly older male elk, whose antlers are beginning to look like antlers instead of like velvet-covered bumps!