{"id":56459,"date":"2019-03-07T06:16:42","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T13:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=56459"},"modified":"2026-03-06T14:30:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:30:33","slug":"yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-warming-up-on-the-rocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/03\/07\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-warming-up-on-the-rocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Yellow-bellied Marmot Pup Warming Up On The Rocks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Yellow-belliedYellow-bellied Marmot pup warming up on some rocks \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/4000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The last couple of times I have gone out looking for birds I have also been keeping an eye out for Yellow-bellied Marmots because they will soon be awakening from their long hibernation and will be coming out of their burrows to welcome the warmth of spring. I loved finding this Yellow-bellied Marmot pup resting on these rocks.<\/p>\n

Yellow-bellied Marmots are also called “Whistle Pigs” and “Rock Chucks” so I have to wonder should I call their pups “Whistle Piglets” and “Rock Chucklets” or just call them cute and adorable?<\/p>\n

They definitely are cute and adorable but I kind of like the name “Rock Chucklets” and it rolls of my tongue rather nicely too.<\/p>\n

Last year I had several opportunities to photograph adult Yellow-bellied Marmots<\/span><\/a> with their pups and I enjoyed every minute I spent with them. My joy was amplified when I was able to share them with my mother when she visited me here in Utah last May.<\/p>\n

I can barely wait to see and photograph them again.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Yellow-bellied Marmot photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

Because of rain, snow, clouds and generally poor weather for bird photography I haven’t been out in the field in a while, to say that I have cabin fever is putting it mildly because I am aching to get back out in the field. But it might be a good thing that I have been at home because of the weather because I have been having problems with my computer and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). After spending hours (and hours) running scans, performing all kinds of tests and updating drivers I narrowed the issues down some bloatware that came with my graphics card and some problems caused by my Bluetooth mouse.\u00a0 I uninstalled that bloatware, started using a wireless mouse and I think I finally got rid of those frustrating blue screens. Time will tell.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yellow-bellied Marmots are also called “Whistle Pigs” and “Rock Chucks” so I have to wonder should I call their pups “Whistle Piglets” and “Rock Chucklets” or just call them cute and adorable? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":171392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[1148,26,99,231],"tags":[5772,4054,4098,5854,2241,4984,4107,11852,2242,6985,4470,165,5146,2243,6984,4029,4193],"class_list":["post-56459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","category-wildlife","category-yellow-bellied-marmots","tag-baby","tag-burrow","tag-desert","tag-marmot","tag-marmota-flaviventris","tag-marmots","tag-pup","tag-ranchlands","tag-rock-chuck","tag-rock-pile","tag-rocks","tag-spring","tag-warming","tag-whistle-pig","tag-whistle-piglet","tag-yellow-bellied-marmot","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-mia-mcpherson-4970.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-eGD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101349,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-in-a-crack-in-some-rocks\/","url_meta":{"origin":56459,"position":0},"title":"Yellow-bellied Marmot Pup In A Crack In Some Rocks","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I was delighted to find and photograph a Yellow-bellied Marmot pup peeking out of a crack in some lichen-covered rocks on the 1st of April in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Box Elder County"","block_context":{"text":"Box Elder County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/box-elder-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow-bellied Marmot pup in a crack in the rocks, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-in-a-crack-mia-mcpherson-8888.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-in-a-crack-mia-mcpherson-8888.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-in-a-crack-mia-mcpherson-8888.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-in-a-crack-mia-mcpherson-8888.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101550,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/13\/yellow-bellied-marmot-babies\/","url_meta":{"origin":56459,"position":1},"title":"Yellow-bellied Marmot Babies","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A few days ago I was thrilled to have four small Yellow-bellied Marmot babies to observe and photograph on some rocks in far northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Box Elder County"","block_context":{"text":"Box Elder County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/box-elder-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow-bellied Marmot baby looking out from a crevice, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-baby-mia-mcpherson-7175.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-baby-mia-mcpherson-7175.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-baby-mia-mcpherson-7175.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-baby-mia-mcpherson-7175.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46622,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/05\/06\/yellow-bellied-marmot-with-pups\/","url_meta":{"origin":56459,"position":2},"title":"Yellow-bellied Marmot With Pups","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I was able to photograph a Yellow-bellied Marmot with pups, these are photos I have wanted to take for years but until now haven't been able to create.","rel":"","context":"In "Box Elder County"","block_context":{"text":"Box Elder County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/box-elder-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow-bellied Marmot pup near a shallow cave, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-mia-mcpherson-0506.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-mia-mcpherson-0506.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-mia-mcpherson-0506.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-mia-mcpherson-0506.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":102105,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/05\/03\/young-yellow-bellied-marmot-pup-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":56459,"position":3},"title":"Young Yellow-bellied Marmot Pup Portraits","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I am sharing two portraits of recently photographed Yellow-bellied Marmot pups that I found near their den in desert habitat in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Box Elder County"","block_context":{"text":"Box Elder County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/box-elder-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Portrait of two Yellow-bellied Marmot pups, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pups-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9692.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pups-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9692.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pups-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9692.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/yellow-bellied-marmot-pups-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9692.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50831,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/02\/02\/yellow-bellied-marmots-on-groundhog-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":56459,"position":4},"title":"Yellow-bellied Marmots on Groundhog Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Punxsutawney Phil can have the spotlight today, our Yellow-bellied Marmots will have their time in the sun soon enough.","rel":"","context":"In "Box Elder County"","block_context":{"text":"Box Elder County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/box-elder-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Curious Yellow-bellied Marmot, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-rocks-mia-mcpherson-0224.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-rocks-mia-mcpherson-0224.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-rocks-mia-mcpherson-0224.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-bellied-marmot-rocks-mia-mcpherson-0224.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":126962,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/04\/01\/yellow-bellied-marmot-on-a-cliff\/","url_meta":{"origin":56459,"position":5},"title":"Yellow-bellied Marmot On A Cliff","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"On April Fool's Day of 2022, I was up in far northern Utah where I spotted this adult male Yellow-bellied Marmot warming up in the morning sun on a cliff.","rel":"","context":"In "Box Elder County"","block_context":{"text":"Box Elder County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/box-elder-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult male Yellow-bellied Marmot on a cliff, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-male-cliff-face-mia-mcpherson-8926.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-male-cliff-face-mia-mcpherson-8926.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-male-cliff-face-mia-mcpherson-8926.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/yellow-bellied-marmot-male-cliff-face-mia-mcpherson-8926.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\/56459","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=56459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}