Wild Critters in the Rockies

I walk slow and easy on the trails. As a result, it takes me twice as long as anyone else to walk a trail. But I see so much more, and get photos of things that most visitors to the park miss.

I don't know what kinds of birds these are, but they were at the 10,000 foot elevation off the Ute Trail.



The chipmunks always wanted a handout, and would come right up to me asking for one. Sorry, I'm a Republican.


According to the displays at the park visitor centers, it is rare to catch sight of the yellow-bellied marmot. But I got to see several, and even got two of them on film, on different days.


This herd of elk was on a high alpine meadow, up above the tree line.






In contrast to the elk, the mule deer are more timid. It took quite a bit of effort to get close enough to one to take this picture. The elk are generally found in the high meadows, but the deer like the cover of the forest.



But here are some elk in the forest.


A real beaver, in the riparian moraine marshes, within sight of his beaver pond.



A stellar's jay, with a grub in his mouth. This shot was taken about the 10,500 foot elevation, near the beaver's pond.



This cute fellow is known as a pica. He's a tiny critter between the size of a chipmunk and a squirrel, but lives the life of a prairie dog, living in burrows dug in sandy soil. The pica and the elk are pretty much the only animals that live above the treeline consistently.




I thought this was a turkey, but a ranger who I met further down the trail and showed her the picture said this was a grouse. She was surprised I got the photo. She said grouse are usually very skittish and are usually gone before anyone can see them.


I'm not sure what kind of bird this is, either, but I think it's some kind of magpie. It's a huge bird, well over a foot long.



Another chipmunk. This one was way up at Cub Lake. He was more timid than most of the chipmunks I saw.




And here's my piece de resistance... this is a ruby-throated hummingbird! It is a female, and thus does not have the ruby throat. It is only about an inch long.
The hummers were flitting around several places in the backcountry. You could hear the trill of their feathers as they flitted to and fro. I consider myself extremely lucky to get this photo: they normally don't alight very often, and when they do, it is only for 1/2 second or so at a time. I never expected to really be able to get a photograph of one, let alone a photo this clear.