I’ve been wanting to share more photos of the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs that I took at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge earlier this month. Today is as good a day as any.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog family at their burrow, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, OklahomaBlack-tailed Prairie Dog family at their burrow

This was the first time I’d photographed Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. Before this time I had only ever photographed White-tailed Prairie Dogs in Utah.

Prairie dogs are fun to watch as family units, peeking out of their burrows, cuddling each other, and just doing what prairie dogs do.

Getting good light on the prairie dog towns during the first couple of days at the refuge was tough, but on May 14th the light improved. Even better, the prairie dogs were above ground and active too!

To view the photos in the gallery below at a larger size, click on the first image and scroll through them. You’ll also be able to read the captions for each photo that way.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog pup and parent at their burrow, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma
Adult Black-tailed Prairie Dog in a field of blooming wildflowers, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma
Baby Black-tailed Prairie Dog at its burrow, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma
Alert Black-tailed Prairie Dog adult at Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma
Adult Black-tailed Prairie Dog with one of their pups, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma
Adult Black-tailed Prairie Dog with three pups at their burrow, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma
Resting adult Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma
Adult Black-tailed Prairie Dog walking through blooming wildflowers, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma

It was a real treat to see baby Black-tailed Prairie Dogs running around, nuzzling their parents, and looking cute in the mixed-grass prairie filled with blooming wildflowers.

I tried to select photos that showed the prairie dog families, adults, and pups. I’m happy with the images I took, and I’m delighted to share them today. I really hope you all enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed watching and photographing the prairie dogs.

Site update: I meant to say something yesterday but forgot. I finished re-uploading all the images that were missing or broken during my site move on Monday.

That was 1,178 photos that needed to be uploaded and placed on pages, posts, and galleries to fix my site. It was very time consuming.

Now I feel like a large weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I’ll have more time to share photos and the stories behind them again. More fun!

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Black-tailed Prairie Dog photos plus facts and information about this species.