Yellow-bellied Marmot pup with a pale face – Nikon D500, f9, 1/1000, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I haven’t seen a Yellow-bellied Marmot in quite some time because they start their hibernation around September but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about them quite often. When I travel past places where I normally see marmots I always look for them even when I know that they are safely and warmly snuggled into their underground burrows. This past spring I had so much fun photographing marmot pups that I felt like sharing photos of one that I thought was special.
At one of the burrows where I photographed Yellow-bellied Marmot pups in the spring there was one pup of the five that had a paler face than the other four had and I thought that was interesting. I couldn’t tell the other four apart at all but this one stood out and I photographed it quite often. I’ve wondered if this pup will have a pale face as an adult too, I know I’ll keep an eye out for a pale faced marmot in that area come spring but this pup will probably have moved away from the burrow it was born in especially if it is a male.
I’ve been hoping for years to be able to photograph Yellow-bellied Marmots with snow in the images, maybe, just maybe, this coming spring I’ll have an opportunity to do just that, perhaps I’ll even find another pale faced pup that I can photograph in the snow.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Yellow-bellied Marmot photos plus facts and information about this species.
Very cute little Marmot, it reminds us that spring will be around in 4 months or so.
Thank you for sharing a spring photo as I look out on a dull dreary day with 5 inches of snow on the ground.
I’ve always wondered what they looked like! Thank you Mia!