Squirrels in Yellowstone

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Squirrel's Eye View I met this squirrel on the hike up to Mt. Washburn. He stayed mostly out-of-sight over the edge of the trail, so I knelt down onto the path to get a squirrel's-eye view when he finally did pop up for an instant to check me out. I wanted him to be mostly hidden by the ridge to emphasize that he was coming out of hiding. I also wanted his head to be fully in the clear and was fortunate that he came up to the right of the taller rock to the left, which I could use as a counter-balance in the frame.

Red Squirrel

The most commonly seen (and heard) tree squirrel in the park is the small red squirrel.

First of the West I was first exposed to the noisy chatter of red squirrels while hiking in West Virginia when I lived back east. I would see them a few times more before moving to Oregon, where I wouldn't see or hear them again until my first real trip to Yellowstone in 2004. On my first hike in my first few hours in the park, I came across this red squirrel near the beach of Shoshone Lake on the Shoshone Lake Trail. I've since seen them quite a bit in the park, but good pictures usually elude me, so this first picture remains my favorite of my pictures of red squirrels in Yellowstone.

Corn on the Cob A red squirrel works a pine cone like it was corn on the cob, shearing off the protective outer layers to get at the nutritious seeds inside.

Uinta Ground Squirrel

When it’s not hibernating, the Uinta ground squirrel can be commonly seen in the park, especially the eastern and northern areas. While driving through the Lamar Valley, you have to be on constant alert to the many ground squirrels darting beside (and hopefully not into) the road.

Zen & The Uinta Ground Squirrel I am invisible, he cannot see me. I am invisible, he cannot see me. I am invisible, he cannot see me.

	The Preacher & The Pulpit While I’ve gotten a lot out of the church over the years, my deepest and most profound spiritual moments usually come when I’m alone in the woods. This ground squirrel delivered his sermon from a makeshift pulpit atop a fallen log beside the Two Ribbons Trail on the western side of the park.
	I Miss You As much as I like visiting Yellowstone in the fall when the park is less crowded and the fall colors arrive, I do miss the smaller mammals like the ground squirrels who must be hibernating already.