{"id":74179,"date":"2020-09-28T06:20:51","date_gmt":"2020-09-28T12:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=74179"},"modified":"2023-04-11T04:53:09","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T10:53:09","slug":"rock-squirrel-close-up-in-a-fragrant-sumac-shrub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/28\/rock-squirrel-close-up-in-a-fragrant-sumac-shrub\/","title":{"rendered":"Rock Squirrel Close Up In A Fragrant Sumac Shrub"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RockRock Squirrel in a Fragrant Sumac \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week on the same day that I photographed a Warbling Vireo and fall colors<\/span><\/a> and the Red-tailed Hawk with a snake<\/span><\/a> I took images of a few other birds and one furry creature.<\/p>\n

I had parked near a large Fragrant Sumac that is close to a creek at the edge of a forested area of the mountains. I could see the sumac leaves moving around but couldn’t tell what it was that was making them move. I glanced away to watch a Red-breasted Nuthatch fly into a Douglas Fir that was behind my Jeep and when I looked back at the sumac I had a Rock Squirrel looking right at me.<\/p>\n

The Rock Squirrel was grasping a sumac branch and the shrub was so close to me I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to focus on it. The minimum focusing distance for my 500mm lens is 13.1 feet and I knew I was right on the edge of that limit. I locked my focus on the squirrel and took a few photos before it disappeared into the sumac.<\/p>\n

I can see the ridge line of the canyon and a few trees in the squirrel’s eye. I wonder if the squirrel was sniffing the lemon scented leaves of the sumac when I photographed it.<\/p>\n

About five minutes later I saw the Rock Squirrel leave the shelter of the sumac bush, cross the ground in front of my Jeep as it headed into the forested area near the creek. I wish I could have photographed it on the ground however I’m unable to focus through my windshield!<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

The Rock Squirrel was grasping a sumac branch and the shrub was so close to me I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to focus on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":112379,"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":[5661,358,26,1314],"tags":[4004,4897,4098,5767,5370,6767,10569,4069,5662,6768,5663,6188,10452,3826,3827,7630,7631,2315],"class_list":["post-74179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rock-squirrels","category-tooele-county","category-utah","category-west-desert-utah","tag-adult","tag-branch","tag-desert","tag-eye","tag-forest","tag-fragrant-sumac","tag-grasping","tag-mountains","tag-otospermophilus-variegatus","tag-rhus-aromatica","tag-rock-squirrel","tag-shrub","tag-sky-island-mountains","tag-squirrel","tag-squirrels","tag-sumac","tag-sumacs","tag-summer-3"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rock-squirrel-sumac-mia-mcpherson-1428.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-jir","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101819,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/26\/california-tortoiseshell-butterfly-and-blooming-fragrant-sumac\/","url_meta":{"origin":74179,"position":0},"title":"California Tortoiseshell Butterfly And Blooming Fragrant Sumac","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I had this California Tortoiseshell butterfly nectaring on blooming Fragrant Sumac up in a far northern Utah desert in my viewfinder four years ago today.","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":"California Tortoiseshell butterfly on blooming Fragrant Sumac, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/California-Tortoiseshell-butterfly-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-6207.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/California-Tortoiseshell-butterfly-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-6207.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/California-Tortoiseshell-butterfly-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-6207.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/California-Tortoiseshell-butterfly-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-6207.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100447,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/06\/american-tree-sparrow-on-a-fragrant-sumac\/","url_meta":{"origin":74179,"position":1},"title":"American Tree Sparrow On A Fragrant Sumac","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning I am sharing a simple photo of an American Tree Sparrow perched in a Fragrant Sumac that I took last month near a freshwater seep in the desert.","rel":"","context":"In "American Tree Sparrows"","block_context":{"text":"American Tree Sparrows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/emberzine-sparrows-allies\/american-tree-sparrows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Tree Sparrow on a Fragrant Sumac, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/american-tree-sparrow-adult-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-1313.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/american-tree-sparrow-adult-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-1313.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/american-tree-sparrow-adult-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-1313.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/american-tree-sparrow-adult-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-1313.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":85174,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/04\/20\/european-starling-on-three-perches\/","url_meta":{"origin":74179,"position":2},"title":"European Starling On Three Perches","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago I was able to take photos of a male European Starling on three different perches just a few seconds apart in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult European Starling in spring, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/european-starling-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-6795.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/european-starling-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-6795.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/european-starling-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-6795.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/european-starling-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-6795.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":73824,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/17\/adult-sage-thrasher-regurgitating-a-sumac-seed\/","url_meta":{"origin":74179,"position":3},"title":"Adult Sage Thrasher Regurgitating A Sumac Seed","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Eleven days ago I photographed an adult Sage Thrasher regurgitating the seed of a sumac berry that was so close I could barely fit the thrasher in the frame.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sage Thrasher after regurgitating a sumac seed, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sage-thrasher-sumac-mia-mcpherson-3914.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sage-thrasher-sumac-mia-mcpherson-3914.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sage-thrasher-sumac-mia-mcpherson-3914.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sage-thrasher-sumac-mia-mcpherson-3914.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57706,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/05\/09\/painted-lady-and-mourning-cloak-butterflies-on-fragrant-sumac\/","url_meta":{"origin":74179,"position":4},"title":"Painted Lady And Mourning Cloak Butterflies On Fragrant Sumac","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This Mourning Cloak butterfly I photographed five days ago not far from where I photographed the Painted Lady was also nectaring on Fragrant Sumac and it too looked a bit worn because they are a migratory butterfly species as well.","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":"Mourning Cloak butterfly on Fragrant Sumac, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mourning-cloak-butterfly-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-2436.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mourning-cloak-butterfly-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-2436.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mourning-cloak-butterfly-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-2436.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mourning-cloak-butterfly-fragrant-sumac-mia-mcpherson-2436.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":96549,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/10\/20\/immature-white-crowned-sparrow-photos-in-fall\/","url_meta":{"origin":74179,"position":5},"title":"Immature White-crowned Sparrow Photos In Fall","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was way up north in Box Elder County three days ago I had the opportunity to take immature White-crowned Sparrow photos with fall colors in the frames.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature White-crowned Sparrow on a sumac at a desert seep, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-immature-fall-sumac-mia-mcpherson-0590.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-immature-fall-sumac-mia-mcpherson-0590.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-immature-fall-sumac-mia-mcpherson-0590.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/white-crowned-sparrow-immature-fall-sumac-mia-mcpherson-0590.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\/74179","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=74179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}