{"id":129604,"date":"2024-06-19T02:44:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T07:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=129604"},"modified":"2024-06-18T19:46:14","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T00:46:14","slug":"bairds-pocket-gopher-photos-in-oklahoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/06\/19\/bairds-pocket-gopher-photos-in-oklahoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Baird’s Pocket Gopher Photos In Oklahoma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, I was sitting on the steps enjoying the sunshine and the birds singing when, all of a sudden, I spotted a Baird’s Pocket Gopher in the yard.<\/p>\n

\"Baird'sBaird’s Pocket Gopher in Oklahoma \u2013 Nikon D500, f10, 1\/1600, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The pocket gopher had already dug three burrows and was working on its fourth when I saw it. I quickly went inside, grabbed my camera, rested it on the railing, and started taking photos.<\/p>\n

The gopher was so close that all I could do was take portraits of it, but only in the extremely brief moments I could see its head.<\/p>\n

This gopher didn’t like the sound of my shutter. Whenever it heard the click, it ducked back down below the mounds of sand.<\/p>\n

\"Baird'sBaird’s Pocket Gopher in Marshall County \u2013 Nikon D500, f10, 1\/1600, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I wasn’t sure which pocket gopher I photographed<\/span><\/a>, so I relied on the people using iNaturalist to help me with the identification. Thankfully, a professor and biologist named Russell Pfau<\/span><\/a>, who has been focusing on Geomys (gophers) in North America, came to my assistance.<\/p>\n

The area where I live and photographed this pocket gopher is rural and very under-iNatted. I’m grateful that Professor Pfau helped me with the identification.<\/p>\n

After I took a few photos of this gopher, I went back inside because I didn’t want to disturb the creature. It dug one more burrow and then disappeared. I haven’t seen it since.<\/p>\n

Up until that day, I had never had a pocket gopher in my viewfinder. It was actually exciting for me. I’m glad I decided to take photos of the gopher that day; who knows how long it might be before I can focus on one of them again!<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my mammal photos plus facts and information about them in my galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, I was sitting on the steps enjoying the sunshine and the birds singing when, all of a sudden, I spotted a Baird’s Pocket Gopher in the yard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[15232,15134,13973],"tags":[4004,15245,4142,10612,15241,15240,15246,320,15244,1632,15171,14021,15242,15243,4046,5697],"class_list":["post-129604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bairds-pocket-gophers","category-marshall-county","category-oklahoma","tag-adult","tag-bairds-pocket-gopher","tag-close-up","tag-digging","tag-eastern-pocket-gophers","tag-genus-geomys","tag-geomys-breviceps","tag-gopher","tag-gophers","tag-mammals","tag-marshall-county","tag-oklahoma","tag-pocket-gopher","tag-pocket-gophers","tag-portrait","tag-rodents"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Eastern-Pocket-Gopher-Genus-Geomys-Oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-3614.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-xIo","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":141313,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/03\/08\/bairds-pocket-gopher-in-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":129604,"position":0},"title":"Baird\u2019s Pocket Gopher In Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"These photos of a Baird's Pocket Gopher mark only the second time I've had this rodent species in my viewfinder\u2014once in Oklahoma and now in Arkansas.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Baird's Pocket Gopher close up in Arkansas, Sebastian County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bairds-pocket-gopher-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-6642.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bairds-pocket-gopher-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-6642.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bairds-pocket-gopher-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-6642.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bairds-pocket-gopher-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-6642.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":141427,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/03\/10\/more-bairds-pocket-gopher-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":129604,"position":1},"title":"More Baird’s Pocket Gopher Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, Steve told me to grab my camera. I did, and within a minute, I had a Baird's Pocket Gopher in my viewfinder\u2014one with a wonderfully clear view.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Baird's Pocket Gopher with a dirty nose, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bairds-gopher-garden-mia-mcpherson-7078.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bairds-gopher-garden-mia-mcpherson-7078.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bairds-gopher-garden-mia-mcpherson-7078.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bairds-gopher-garden-mia-mcpherson-7078.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":105171,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/19\/west-desert-great-basin-gopher-snake\/","url_meta":{"origin":129604,"position":2},"title":"West Desert Great Basin Gopher Snake","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago while out exploring the West Desert of Utah I was thrilled to come across a large Great Basin Gopher Snake warming itself on a dusty dirt road.","rel":"","context":"In "Gopher Snakes"","block_context":{"text":"Gopher Snakes","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/gopher-snakes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"West Desert Great Basin Gopher Snake portrait, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/gopher-snake-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0158.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/gopher-snake-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0158.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/gopher-snake-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0158.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/gopher-snake-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0158.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5893,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/08\/13\/fish-crows-why-i-cant-dislike-them\/","url_meta":{"origin":129604,"position":3},"title":"Fish Crows – Why I Can’t Dislike Them","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I was going to do a simple post about this image of a Fish Crow with a young Gopher Tortoise in its bill that was taken on Egmont Key State Park (also Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge), an island located just to the west of Fort De Soto, Florida.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fish Crow with nesting material, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/fish-crow-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-9148.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/fish-crow-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-9148.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/fish-crow-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-9148.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/fish-crow-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-9148.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4603,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/03\/07\/richardsons-ground-squirrels\/","url_meta":{"origin":129604,"position":4},"title":"Richardson’s Ground Squirrels","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Farmers don't like Richardson's Ground Squirrels much, they dig holes that could break the legs on livestock and eat grains and the shoots of plants, I can understand those concerns. But I have to say... I love them, they are fun to watch and photograph.","rel":"","context":"In "Glacier County"","block_context":{"text":"Glacier County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/glacier-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Richardson's Ground Squirrel standing, Glacier County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/richardsons-ground-squirrel-montana-mia-mcpherson-7483.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/richardsons-ground-squirrel-montana-mia-mcpherson-7483.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/richardsons-ground-squirrel-montana-mia-mcpherson-7483.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/richardsons-ground-squirrel-montana-mia-mcpherson-7483.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74166,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/27\/adult-red-tailed-hawk-with-a-snake-in-the-west-desert\/","url_meta":{"origin":129604,"position":5},"title":"Adult Red-tailed Hawk With A Snake In The West Desert","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I noticed immediately that the Red-tailed Hawk was on prey because I saw it tearing into something despite the grasses that were partially obstructing my view.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Red-tailed Hawk with a snake in grasses, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-tailed-hawk-gopher-snake-mia-mcpherson-1647.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-tailed-hawk-gopher-snake-mia-mcpherson-1647.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-tailed-hawk-gopher-snake-mia-mcpherson-1647.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-tailed-hawk-gopher-snake-mia-mcpherson-1647.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}