I’m back from Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, where I was thrilled to photograph a young Black-tailed Prairie Dog at a burrow with an adult.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog and baby at their burrow, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, OklahomaBlack-tailed Prairie Dog and baby at their burrow – Canon R7, handheld, f14, 1/800, ISO 800, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light

I’ve photographed White-tailed Prairie Dogs before, but these Black-tailed Prairie Dogs were photographic “lifers” for me. That means I’d seen them before but had never photographed them.

There were several baby Black-tailed Prairie Dogs in the prairie dog towns I saw on the mixed grass prairies of the refuge.

Trying to get a good angle of light was a challenge, and so was getting photos of the young prairie dogs interacting with the adults or their siblings.

It was amazing to be able to photograph the prairie dogs with spring wildflowers blooming all around them.

In the photo above, the baby Black-tailed Prairie Dog was calling out as the parent listened.

I have thousands of photos to go through in the next few days, and I have several more “lifers” I want to share. It was a very productive trip to Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge!

The scenery, the animals, and the birds were enchanting!

Life is good.

Mia

I will add a gallery for Black-tailed Prairie Dog photos soon, in the meantime you can see more of my mammal photos here.