Utah's Critters

As is typical of the busy migration season, I have much to write about but often don't find/take the time to ACTUALLY "git 'er done". Skimming through recent images, I'm reminded of many great experiences I've had of late. For example, the great assortment of birds and critters seen at the American Birding Association's annual convention held in Snowbird, Utah.

Yellow Pine Chipmunk?...

The assortment of readily seen mammals was as much a highlight as the birds. The tiny chipmunk above I've tentatively named a "Yellow Pine Chipmunk", but I wasn't wholly convinced. If any out there with more experience with these montane chippies want to chime in with opinions I'd love to hear them! I found it fun to watch as this little critter would grab big chunks of this "fluff" and work through it extracting seeds. Marvelously entertaining!

Uinta Ground Squirrel watches from a rock, Snowbird, UT

Moving up in size, the ever present Uinta Ground Squirrels presented a continuing source of entertainment all around the venue. Including one resourceful individual who would sometimes sneak in the back door and visit us at our booths. Again, I realize locals likely take these for granted (much as I might seeing yet another alligator here in Florida), but the novelty of watching these antics was not lost on me. I very much enjoyed observing these behaviors. The grass is always greener I guess...

an alert Uinta Ground Squirrel, poses for a digiscoped shot

Every evening, a small army of marmots would come out of hiding and join the ubiquitous Ground Squirrels on the resort lawns. I realize these aren't rare, but again one of the great things about travel is that common local sights are new & different for those of us far from home. These creatures seemed to have a near endless range of variation in markings, which I enjoyed studying.

Yellow-bellied Marmot digiscoped in Snowbird, UT

The evening hours were also the best time to see the local ungulates which included many Mule Deer which would appear out of the scattered tree stands and taller shrubs lining the sloped sides of the beautiful canyon. The buck below takes a moment while grazing to give me a look as I hike a scenic hillside trail. In the summer months the male muleys' antlers are still growing in "velvet" and furry hide covers the living tissue below as the antlers grow back in.

male Mule Deer grazes on the slopes of Snowbird Resort

Another common sight around the grounds were Moose and some would reliably feed in the algae laden ponds near the Steakhouse on the grounds. I never actually digiscoped one of these but did snag a photo of a big yearling with my camera phone after enjoying a nice dinner! Some lucky observers also found Mountain Goats here but I was never at the right spot at the right time to enjoy this. At any rate, the place was definitely crawling with wildlife. A pleasant departure from the typical venue in a hotel in the middle of a concrete jungle.

"Muley" digiscoped at snowbird with Leica APO Televid scope and C-Lux 2 camera

Further afield, along the shores of the Great Salt Lake, Pronghorn Antelope mixed with reintroduced Bison. We even saw a distant Desert Bighorn Sheep on a relatively small rocky rise. This mammalian smorgasbord was a pleasant distraction for me though living in the semi-tropical lowlands.

American Bison snapped through a bus window with a Leica V-Lux camera in passing