Hibernation
118 creative works found
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living wild above the village of Saas Fee, a wonderful place in the Swiss Alps, this little marmot enjoys a piece of carrot to gain enough weight for the long winter sleep.
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Marmots are the alpine cousins to ground hogs. They’re busy all summer eating in preparation for their hibernation over the long mountain winters. This was an exceptionally large fellow who was sunning himself on a rock.
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Pikas spend the summer gathering food for the long, cold winter – they don’t hibernate. Get too close to their food and they let out a loud EEENK! It took me the better part of the summer of 2007 to catch Larry the pika at full squeak. 1982 views at last count Pikas are an at-risk species due to climate change Mount Evans Wilderness Area / Sony a100 + 750300mm @300mm
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This image is under the Top Ten of the challenge Trees in Black & White / . / . Canon EOS 400D / Canon EF 70-300 USM IS. / . / . / Sold as a greeting card. / . / . / . / . / . / . / . /
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That’s the problem with being a marmot. Otherwise, I’d trade lives in a heartbeat. Lying on a warm rock, playing in the snow, living my whole life with wonderful views. Sleeping for 6 months at a time. Mt Evans Wilderness Area
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Prairie Marmots….. UNTOUCHED IMAGE AND STRAIGHT FROM THE CAMERA ! Generally large ground squirrels, those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, Carpathians, Tatra, and Pyrenees in Europe, the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada in the United States, and Northern Canada. However, the groundhog is also properly called a marmot, while the similarly-sized but more social prairie dog is not classified in the genus Marmota but in the related genus Cynomys. Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. Most marmots are highly social, and use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed. Marmots mainly eat greens. They eat many types of grasses, berries, lichens, mosses, roots and flowers.
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I know, I know – I have a lot of marmot pics. I couldn’t resist posting this one. This fellow was actually just scratching himself, but the posture was too fun not to post.
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This little guy seemed more curious than anything. He alternated between standing up for a photo op and dropping down to lick minerals from the soil. Location: Mt Evans Wilderness Area
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Fractal Explorer Reminder 1 formula:-) He was sitting at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, quite at home in the tea pot, when someone poured him out, so I rescued him poor little dormouse. He’s now hibernating in Reminder1:-)
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I created this drawing with art markers and a micron .01 black pen. The paper is Stonehenge 100% Cotton, Vellum finish, 250 GSM, neutral ph/acid free paper. It is 8×8 inches. I absolutely LOVE this paper and plan to buy more in different sizes. It beats ANY Strathmore Bristol Papers, Hands Down! Any monies made from the sale of this art will be donated to The Philadelphia Mission. http://www.philadelphia33.org/
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Well, it goes like this. After driving around for an hour looking for nice animals, I spotted this newly awakened Skunk crawling on the snowbank. It has just awoken from hibernation, maybe a bit early because since it was a warm melting snow day, I think his bed got wet! Call it a practice shot with my new Canon 50D (hey I’m getting ready for Alaska) Photographed at Ste. Rita, Manitoba. I have 1119 views as of December 17, 2009 /
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Gary and I went to Mt Evans on memorial Day weekend, but the weather wasn’t cooperative (almost whiteout conditions around Summit Lake) and we only saw a single pika (well, we weren’t sure he was single – he could have been married, but he was the only one we saw). This was the only pika I saw today who was cooperative enough to pose for me. I do like the back lighting. As they don’t hibernate, they must spend their brief summers gathering grasses and plants. When they gather plants, they stack them into tiny hay bales to dry in the sun, then store them for the winter. In larger pika communities, it’s not unusual for there to be disputes over ownership of the hay bales. These noisy conflicts are at times exploited by nearby predators. Pikas are another species (like marmots) that are considered altruistic – they selflessly keep themselves in danger to bark out a warning to neighbors. They also bark out a warning if you get too close to their little hay bales. They emit a surprisingly loud “EENK!!!” if you get too close. Pikas are endangered due to climate change. They’re considered a “canary in the coal mine” species and are very susceptible to climbing temperatures and seem to be moving to higher and higher altitudes to escape the heat. But there’s a limit to how high they can climb (eventually they run out of mountain). And because of the higher temperatures, they can’ t migrate to a higher peak as that would mean descending to a lower (and hotter) environment to do so. Pika (Ochotona princeps) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 300mm f/2.8+1.4TC ISO400, 1/800sec, f/2.8
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This is a marmot – it’s basically an alpine groundhog. They have have many nicknames – Whistle Pigs, Brake Line Chewers, Those Big Rats. They’re all marmots. The name marmot comes from the Latin Mures Montani or “mountain mouse.” They are from the Order Rodentia, so they are actually big rats. As rats go, these are pretty amazing. They live above tree line in the the Rockies and Sierras in the US, and in the European Alps. They spend their brief summers eating and mating – in fact, a male marmot can have 3, 4, or more mating partners. They then hibernate through the long alpine winter. Marmots are considered to be one of the few altruistic species on this planet – they selflessly keep themselves in danger to warn others of potential danger. The name Whistle Pig comes from their habit of whistling/squeaking/hooting out a warning to warn their neighbors of danger. Marmots are an at risk species due to climate change. Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 3 /2.8+1.4TC ISO200, 1/1600sec, f/2.8
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Acrylics on Embossed Foil FEATURED in ‘Creative Cards’ July 2009
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I know – he looks rabid, but there’s more to the image than meets the eye. I had a really disappointing day yesterday on Mt Evans. I saw a couple of marmots, neither of whom were interested in having their photo taken, a couple of goats (ditto), and no pikas. None. I reluctantly headed back out this morning, figuring yesterday was a fluke. I always see lots of critters on Evans. I saw a couple of marmots, neither of whom were interested in having their photo taken, a couple of goats (ditto), and I finally found Larry the Pika. He must have been feeling particularly generous today, because he posed for me for almost 10 minutes. I have a bunch of pika images, so I was hoping for something a little different. I spent most of the summer of ‘07 trying to get an image of a pika squeaking out an warning, so I was hoping for something similar today. I was trying to give instructions (“C’mon, let me hear you squeak! Let’s hear it! EEENK!!”), but apparently my Pikan dialect is a bit off. I must have bored him a bit, because about that time, he yawned – not once, but twice. This is a Pika at full yawn. My son saw the image and commented, “Thanks, now I’ll have nightmares.” Pikas are considered to be one of the few altruistic species in the world, including marmots and, arguably, humans. They will remain outside in danger, barking out an alarm to their neighbors if predators are near. Pikas are considered at at-risk species due to climate change – they’re very vulnerable to warm weather. It’s estimated they can only survive a few hours if temps get above 75F. That makes it difficult for them to migrate to different areas, and there’s only so far they can move up a mountain until they run out of mountain. Pika (Ochotona princeps) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 300mm f/2.8+1.4TC ISO400, 1/1250sec, f/4
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Since Krys didn’t find any cooperative marmots in northern Italy (which is a beautiful area, by the way), I thought I’d post another marmot image for her. This is a young marmot, I’m guessing he was born last year. He’s on the small side, and has relatively little gray on his muzzle (marmots are a lot like people – the older they get, the more gray hair they have). Most marmots tend to behave in one of two ways when they see a person: 1. They bolt and run, and they do this funny little tail-helicopter thing while running. They also make this hooting noise as they run – at least it sounds like hooting (but honestly, in my head I hear Nya-aaa-aa, wooob-woob-woob-woob). / 2. They stop and check you out. I don’t think they have binocular vision, so they tend to turn from side to side and eye-ball you with each eye. Sometimes they do some cute posing in the process. This little guy did something I was not expecting – he ran towards me. He must have been fed by people previously, and now associates people with food. That’s too bad. Any time wild animals get too comfortable with people, they usually wind up dying because of it. Marmots are considered to be one of the few altruistic species on this planet – they selflessly keep themselves in danger to warn others of potential danger. Marmots are an at risk species due to climate change. Because summers in the mountains are so brief, they try to eat and gain as much weight as possible for the long winter hibernation. Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 3 /2.8+1.4TC / Giottos tripod, Acratech ballhead, Wimberley Sidekick ISO400, 1/2000sec, f/3.2
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Some may recognize Larry the Pika -my favorite little alpine critter. I figured after the last image of Larry when he was yawning (and scaring small children), he was owed a better, cuter image. Larry lives in a talus field at about 14,000ft on Mt Evans. As posted previously, pikas are endangered due to climate change and global warming. They’re highly specialized little animals, with adaptations to high altitude, high winds, and extremely cold temps. Because of these adaptations, they handle alpine peaks extremely well, but they don’t manage warm temps at all. If temps get above 75F for long, they can’t survive, and quickly die. That means they can’t just migrate to colder areas – they have to pass through warmer temps to do so. All they can do is climb higher until they run out of mountain. As you can see in the photo, part of their special adaptations are hairy feet and hairy little toes, and a hairy little nose (no warm, wet black nose here) – all with the idea of retaining heat in cold weather. Pikas are considered to be one of the few altruistic species in the world, including marmots and, arguably, humans. They will remain outside in danger, barking out an alarm to their neighbors if predators are near. Pika (Ochotona princeps) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 300mm f/2.8+1.4TC ISO200, 1/1320sec, f/5.6, -2/3EV
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The first image I posted of Larry the Pika yawning was a little overwhelming, and it scared kids, too. This image is a little more appealing, I think. I managed to catch him in a very brief stretch and yawn before he disappeared back into his burrow under the talus. I spent most of the morning above 14,000ft, with a mission. I wanted to get some behavioral images of pikas, and Larry being the most accessible pika in Colorado, got the attention. I got a bunch of the usual pika perched on a rock shots, but also got a few of these and some others with him gathering food for the winter. I just liked this one so much I wanted to post it right away. When they spot a predator or potential danger (or if you get too close to their little hay bales), they emit a surprisingly loud EEENK. They also keep themselves in harm’s way to alert their neighbors. It’s more common to hear pikas than see them. Pikas, and marmots to a lesser extent, are considered at risk species due to climate change and global warming. They live on what is essentially a cold island. They are unable to migrate to different locations, as doing so would require them to cross long stretches of excessively hot ground. Their only alternative is to climb higher and higher up the mountain, and there’s only so much mountain to climb. Most pikas spend their entire lives in a half-mile radius. It’s estimated that pikas cannot survive in temps higher than 75F for more than a few hours. Pika (Ochotona princeps) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 300mm f/2.8+1.4TC ISO400, 1/1320sec, f/4.5
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The more uncooperative my mountain goats become, the more I look to my smaller critters for inspiration. I had my COYOTE PROJECT in the winter, and now I have my PIKA PROJECT for the rest of the summer. Since I have way too many pika perched on a rock images, I decided to focus (pun intended) on behavioral shots of pikas – something a little different and a little more dynamic. And, of course, my go-to pika is Larry the Pika. Those of you familiar with Larry know that he lives in a talus field around 14,000ft. Larry has been a family friend for years – my son even gave him the nickname Larry. In this image, Larry has collected a mouthful of plant matter and is on his way back to his burrow – he stopped briefly on a rock (where I had pre-focused the lens in hopes that he would do just that), and just as quickly resumed his dash back to the burrow. It helps to have fast reflexes if you want to photograph pikas. Standard Pika Boilerplate / Unlike their alpine cousins, the marmots (who hibernate away the winter months), pikas are awake and active all winter long – and at their altitude in the alpine zone, winter can be a long time. To survive their winters, pikas have to gather food to have enough to eat. They start by running out into the talus field to gather mouthfuls of grass, plants, flowers, and thistles. They then pile all the plant matter into tiny little hay bales to dry in the sun. Once it’s dried, they carry the little hay bales into their burrows where they store it and use it for food, bedding, and insulation. If they don’t gather enough food, they don’t survive the winter. Despite weighing only about 6 ounces themselves, pikas must gather in excess of 50 pounds of plant matter for the coming winter. That’s a LOT of plant matter for a little critter to gather. In pika communities, it’s not uncommon for pikas to try to make off with a neighbors hay bale. When caught, this can lead to a noisy little dispute between the pikas. When they spot a predator or potential danger (or if you get too close to their little hay bales), they emit a surprisingly loud EEENK. They also keep themselves in harm’s way to alert their neighbors. It’s more common to hear pikas than see them. Pikas, and marmots to a lesser extent, are considered at risk species due to climate change and global warming. They live on what is essentially a cold island. They are unable to migrate to different locations, as doing so would require them to cross long stretches of excessively hot ground. Their only alternative is to climb higher and higher up the mountain, and there’s only so much mountain to climb. Most pikas spend their entire lives in a half-mile radius. It’s estimated that pikas cannot survive in temps higher than 75F for more than a few hours. Pika (Ochotona princeps) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 300mm f/2.8+1.4TC / Jobu gimbal, Giottos tripod ISO400, 1/500sec, f/6.3
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Ba dapa DA dada da / Ba dapa DADA da da da / Ba dapa DA dada da / BA BA BA dapa / BA BA BA dapa / DA!! Sorry, got a little carried away there. Last weekend when I was up above 14,000ft, there was a brutal wind. Facing into the wind, I couldn’t breath – I had to put on a windproof balaclava and cover my nose and mouth to catch my breath (and even then, at 14,000ft, it was no easy task). Despite being dressed in full-on winter gear, I was still cold. I could lean forward into the wind and not have to worry about falling forward with the wind. The wind was literally shoving me around. And to make things even more fun, a big lens on a tripod makes an excellent sail – I had to keep a firm grip on the tripod to prevent my kit from being dashed on the rocks. I mention the brutality of the wind, because as difficult time as I was having, Larry the Pika had it worse. I wasn’t expecting to see Larry that day – I figured the wind would have been too much for a little 6-ounce guy like him. But to my surprise, Larry was out and about. I initially spotted him on a little sheltered rock outcropping, avoiding most of the wind but catching some warm sun. That was only a brief respite; he quickly returned to the task of gathering food. The recent rain in Denver was snow in the high country, no doubt reinforcing to him that Winter isn’t that far away, and he needs to gather as much food as he can. The high winds meant that Larry had to change his strategy a bit, too. In some of the stronger gusts, he could easily get blasted off the summit – literally. Instead of going to the rich plant growth on the north side of the talus field (and in the area most exposed to the wind), he went to the South and kept low to the ground, running around and under the rocks instead of on top of them. And his trips out were very brief compared to his usual excursions. It also occurred to me that Larry (and all the other pikas) don’t have the luxury of taking the day off or napping instead of working. Their lives depend upon their ability to gather enough food for the winter. If they take the day off, it puts them at risk. Like it or not, comfortable or not, he’s got to go out and work. Earning a living takes on a whole new level of seriousness. Compared to pikas, marmots have it easy (no offense, Krys); all they have to do is eat and fatten up for the winter hibernation. Well, that’s not all they have to do. They can nap, lay on sun-warmed rocks, and play-fight, too. There’s some playtime in their schedule. Standard Pika Boilerplate / Unlike their alpine cousins, the marmots (who hibernate away the winter months), pikas are awake and active all winter long – and at their altitude in the alpine zone, winter can be a long time. To survive their winters, pikas have to gather food to have enough to eat. They start by running out into the talus field to gather mouthfuls of grass, plants, flowers, and thistles. They then pile all the plant matter into tiny little hay bales to dry in the sun. Once it’s dried, they carry the little hay bales into their burrows where they store it and use it for food, bedding, and insulation. If they don’t gather enough food, they don’t survive the winter. Despite weighing only about 6 ounces themselves, pikas must gather in excess of 50 pounds of plant matter for the coming winter. That’s a LOT of plant matter for a little critter to gather. In pika communities, it’s not uncommon for pikas to try to make off with a neighbors hay bale. When caught, this can lead to a noisy little dispute between the pikas. When they spot a predator or potential danger (or if you get too close to their little hay bales), they emit a surprisingly loud EEENK. They also keep themselves in harm’s way to alert their neighbors. It’s more common to hear pikas than see them. Pikas, and marmots to a lesser extent, are considered at risk species due to climate change and global warming. They live on what is essentially a cold island. They are unable to migrate to different locations, as doing so would require them to cross long stretches of excessively hot ground. Their only alternative is to climb higher and higher up the mountain, and there’s only so much mountain to climb. Most pikas spend their entire lives in a half-mile radius. It’s estimated that pikas cannot survive in temps higher than 75F for more than a few hours. Pika (Ochotona princeps) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 300mm f/2.8+1.4TC / Jobu gimbal, Giottos tripod ISO200, 1/500sec, f/4.5
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This is obviously a labor of love, or I wouldn’t spend so much time in bad weather to not get images. Allow me to set the stage: Awake at 0445, load the car, and drive to Mt Evans before the sun comes up. Keep an eye out for marmots on the way up, and discover they have better sense than to get up this early. Arrive at the summit (14,000ft) – mid-30’s with about a 30-40mph wind. Wearing soft shell pants and an insulated soft shell jacket, windproof balaclava and windproof wool gloves – it’s mid-August and I’m freezing. Carry heavy tripod/camera/lens through a talus field. Set up tripod. Locate pika. Pika found – it’s not Larry, but she’s in the same talus field. She’s making the same short, fast trips to gather food for the rapidly approaching winter. Larry is accustomed to my presence, and he rarely lets out a warning EEENK when I’m around. This little pika is not familiar with me and is EEENKing regularly – an opportunity to get some action shots! You have to image all this happening with a frigid blast of wind shoving me around . . . Me: “C’mon, EEENK for me . . .” / Pika: EEENK / Camera: Click / Me: @#&! Me: “OK, that was good, do it again! / Pika: EEENK / Camera: Click / Me: @#&! Me: “OK, give me a little warning-” / Pika: EEENK / Camera: Click / Me: @#&! Me: “OK, I’m getting the timing now-” / Pika: EEENK / Camera: Click / Me: @#&! Me: “OK, OK, I’ve got it now . . .” / Camera: Click / Pika: EEENK / Me: @#&! Now, imagine this going on for the next 30 minutes, with the constant blast of frigid wind. That’s how my day went. On the other hand, it’s a better way to spend a day than just about any other way I can imagine. This is the closest I could get to capturing an EEENK – about half a second too late. Standard Pika Boilerplate / Unlike their alpine cousins, the marmots (who hibernate away the winter months), pikas are awake and active all winter long – and at their altitude in the alpine zone, winter can be a long time. To survive their winters, pikas have to gather food to have enough to eat. They start by running out into the talus field to gather mouthfuls of grass, plants, flowers, and thistles. They then pile all the plant matter into tiny little hay bales to dry in the sun. Once it’s dried, they carry the little hay bales into their burrows where they store it and use it for food, bedding, and insulation. If they don’t gather enough food, they don’t survive the winter. Despite weighing only about 6 ounces themselves, pikas must gather in excess of 50 pounds of plant matter for the coming winter. That’s a LOT of plant matter for a little critter to gather. In pika communities, it’s not uncommon for pikas to try to make off with a neighbors hay bale. When caught, this can lead to a noisy little dispute between the pikas. When they spot a predator or potential danger (or if you get too close to their little hay bales), they emit a surprisingly loud EEENK. They also keep themselves in harm’s way to alert their neighbors. It’s more common to hear pikas than see them. Pikas, and marmots to a lesser extent, are considered at risk species due to climate change and global warming. They live on what is essentially a cold island. They are unable to migrate to different locations, as doing so would require them to cross long stretches of excessively hot ground. Their only alternative is to climb higher and higher up the mountain, and there’s only so much mountain to climb. Most pikas spend their entire lives in a half-mile radius. It’s estimated that pikas cannot survive in temps higher than 75F for more than a few hours. Pika (Ochotona princeps) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 300mm f/2.8+1.4TC / Jobu gimbal, Giottos tripod ISO200, 1/640sec, f/4
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The Pika Project series is now winding down. Not only are the aspen starting to change colors, but the tundra at altitude is as well. Many of the tundra grasses and plants turn an intense shade of red as Fall starts in the high country. One of my goals from the Labor Day weekend was to get a pika image with her gathering food with some of the red Fall color.. I have another one that’s sufficiently different I want to post as well. Standard Pika Boilerplate / Unlike their alpine cousins, the marmots (who hibernate away the winter months), pikas are awake and active all winter long – and at their altitude in the alpine zone, winter can be a long time. To survive their winters, pikas have to gather food to have enough to eat. They start by running out into the talus field to gather mouthfuls of grass, plants, flowers, and thistles. They then pile all the plant matter into tiny little hay bales to dry in the sun. Once it’s dried, they carry the little hay bales into their burrows where they store it and use it for food, bedding, and insulation. If they don’t gather enough food, they don’t survive the winter. Despite weighing only about 6 ounces themselves, pikas must gather in excess of 50 pounds of plant matter for the coming winter. That’s a LOT of plant matter for a little critter to gather. In pika communities, it’s not uncommon for pikas to try to make off with a neighbors hay bale. When caught, this can lead to a noisy little dispute between the pikas. When they spot a predator or potential danger (or if you get too close to their little hay bales), they emit a surprisingly loud EEENK. They also keep themselves in harm’s way to alert their neighbors. It’s more common to hear pikas than see them. Pikas, and marmots to a lesser extent, are considered at risk species due to climate change and global warming. They live on what is essentially a cold island. They are unable to migrate to different locations, as doing so would require them to cross long stretches of excessively hot ground. Their only alternative is to climb higher and higher up the mountain, and there’s only so much mountain to climb. Most pikas spend their entire lives in a half-mile radius. It’s estimated that pikas cannot survive in temps higher than 75F for more than a few hours. Pika (Ochotona princeps) / Mt Evans Wilderness Area, CO / Sony a700 / Sigma 300mm f/2.8 / Jobu gimbal, Giottos tripod ISO200, 1/2500sec, f/5.6, -2/3EV
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10/2/09 ~ Featured in Squirrels and Chipmunks ~ Thank you ♥ / Chippy is still stocking up…. he usually disappears in early November so he has about 6 weeks til hibernation! This was taken the evening of 9/20/09 on my back porch. His fur looked so soft and pretty. I added a few acorns that just began falling from our oak trees. Chippy loves them as much as peanuts and hazelnuts. Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi / F stop: F/5.0 Exposure: 1/200 sec. Focal length: 100.0 mm / Flash fired, Shutter speed (Tv): 7.6 / Very minor editing and cropping See Chippy’s 2010 Calendar: / CHIPMUNK ADVENTURES / . CLICK TO SEE MORE CHIPPY PICTURES / / . CLICK TO SEE CHIPPY’S SUMMER ADVENTURES album on Webshots WHO ME? / / . / NUTTY BUDDY / / . / HALF-LOADED / / . / WELCOME SPRING / / . / STREEEETCH / 6 WEEKS TIL HIBERNATION / .
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Jacob was feasting at the end of the summer. He loved grapes and nuts. For full story visit… http://www.livehonestly.com/chippy.html
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