{"id":67050,"date":"2020-03-16T05:27:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T11:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=67050"},"modified":"2026-03-10T06:47:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T11:47:22","slug":"uinta-ground-squirrels-have-emerged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/03\/16\/uinta-ground-squirrels-have-emerged\/","title":{"rendered":"Uinta Ground Squirrels Have Emerged!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"YoungYoung Uinta Ground Squirrel in spring grasses \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday I practically danced in my desk chair because I saw my Facebook friend Margaret Sloan<\/span><\/a> who lives high up in the Wasatch Mountains post the first photos of Uinta Ground Squirrels that I have seen this year.<\/p>\n

Seeing her photo of the Uinta Ground Squirrel got me excited because I adore the squirrels and enjoy taking photos of them.<\/p>\n

Uinta Ground Squirrels spend much of their lives under ground and they start to emerge about this time of the year. The males emerge from their winter burrows first, the females and young emerge later.<\/p>\n

Margaret’s Uinta Ground Squirrel image shows the squirrel standing upright in the snow and I drooled over her photo.<\/p>\n

Why? Because I have never photographed these squirrels in the snow and now I feel a sense of urgency to go up where the squirrels are to do just that before the warmth of spring melts all the snow.<\/p>\n

I have taken thousands of photos of Uinta Ground Squirrels in green grasses, on rocks, climbing stumps, at their burrows, and in sagebrush, but not a single image of them in the snow.<\/p>\n

I need to get up into the mountains. Soon!<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Uinta Ground Squirrel photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have taken thousands of photos of Uinta Ground Squirrels in green grasses, on rocks, climbing stumps, at their burrows, and in sagebrush but not a single image of them in the snow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":171658,"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":[1731,1630,26,773],"tags":[9330,1631,5071,4067,264,4069,4050,165,3826,3827,2619,2620,4193],"class_list":["post-67050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-summit-county-utah","category-uinta-ground-squirrel","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-emerge","tag-ground-squirrel","tag-ground-squirrels","tag-immature","tag-kits","tag-mountains","tag-snow","tag-spring","tag-squirrel","tag-squirrels","tag-uinta-ground-squirrel-2","tag-urocitellus-armatus","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/uinta-ground-squirrel-young-grasses-mia-mcpherson-8605.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-hrs","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":103822,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/03\/adult-uinta-ground-squirrel-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":67050,"position":0},"title":"Adult Uinta Ground Squirrel Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning I'm sharing some adult Uinta Ground Squirrel photos that were taken high in the Wasatch Mountains over the past month that I like a lot.","rel":"","context":"In "Summit County"","block_context":{"text":"Summit County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/summit-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Uinta Ground Squirrel on an old sagebrush stump, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/uinta-ground-squirrel-adult-sagebrush-stump-mia-mcpherson-2147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/uinta-ground-squirrel-adult-sagebrush-stump-mia-mcpherson-2147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/uinta-ground-squirrel-adult-sagebrush-stump-mia-mcpherson-2147.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/uinta-ground-squirrel-adult-sagebrush-stump-mia-mcpherson-2147.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":110549,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/02\/27\/just-weeks-away-from-taking-uinta-ground-squirrel-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":67050,"position":1},"title":"Just Weeks Away From Taking Uinta Ground Squirrel Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In just about five weeks I should be able to take my first of year Uinta Ground Squirrel photos up in the sage-covered, grassy parts of the Wasatch Mountains.","rel":"","context":"In "Summit County"","block_context":{"text":"Summit County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/summit-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Uinta Ground Squirrel with spring grasses, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/uinta-ground-squirrel-eating-mia-mcpherson-3460.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/uinta-ground-squirrel-eating-mia-mcpherson-3460.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/uinta-ground-squirrel-eating-mia-mcpherson-3460.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/uinta-ground-squirrel-eating-mia-mcpherson-3460.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70118,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/05\/20\/baby-uinta-ground-squirrels-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":67050,"position":2},"title":"Baby Uinta Ground Squirrels In The Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Seeing the baby ground squirrels brought a smile to my face and I must admit that my heart skipped a beat. I really think that they are adorable.","rel":"","context":"In "Summit County"","block_context":{"text":"Summit County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/summit-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Baby Uinta Ground Squirrel with a muddy nose, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/uinta-ground-squirrel-baby-grass-mia-mcpherson-2296.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/uinta-ground-squirrel-baby-grass-mia-mcpherson-2296.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/uinta-ground-squirrel-baby-grass-mia-mcpherson-2296.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Canyon","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago while up in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains I was able to finally realize a personal goal while photographing Uinta Ground Squirrels.","rel":"","context":"In "Summit County"","block_context":{"text":"Summit County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/summit-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Uinta Ground Squirrel munching on spring grasses, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/uinta-ground-squirrel-grass-mia-mcpherson-2619.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/uinta-ground-squirrel-grass-mia-mcpherson-2619.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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