I have run across some photogenic rodents this year. While they don’t qualify as “charismatic mega-fauna,” some of them are quite stunning.
This is either a Yellow-pine Chipmunk or a Least Chipmunk. Apparently, you can only differentiate the two by measuring their skulls. I am leaning toward Yellow-pine on this one, as some sources say that Yellow-Pine Chipmunk tends to be more colorful than Least, and this individual was found in a grove of Yellow (Ponderosa) Pines.
As you can see, this individual has a lot more gray, with just a touch of rufous on the sides. The habitat was open sage steppe, so maybe Least Chipmunk?
It is slightly out of focus, but I love this image of a Belding’s Ground Squirrel peeking over a rock.
Here is a better view of a Belding’s Ground Squirrel.
Belding’s Ground Squirrel portrait
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in the morning sun
Yellow-bellied Marmot, high up on Mount Hood
Back on the west side of the state, this Douglas’s Squirrel make a brief appearance in the back yard.
Here is a California Ground Squirrel up in an Oregon White Oak. So, two of the three words in his name are incorrect in this case.
Yes, I know that rabbits are not rodents, but I can’t resist a cute bunny, in this case, a Mountain Cottontail.
Back to birds next time, unless something more interesting comes up.
Happy Summer
Ethical Birder 