More Critters in Colorado

My hubby and I saw some pretty amazing wildlife while we were in Colorado.

Here's a few more photos from our trip:

This little Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel appears to be hitching a ride...
possibly to the nearest squirrel feeder?
~

The Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel is often confused with a chipmunk,
but the squirrel is larger than a chipmunk and has no stripes on its head
~

Don't be surprised to see cows in the middle of the dirt/gravel roads-
we often saw this in Colorado!
~

Antelope on the Colorado plains
~

One of Ouray's "pet deer" that wanders freely through town
~

Mom and babies also in Ouray
~

Cute one!
~

A group of Mule Deer at the forest edge outside of Ouray
~

Herds of Elk were a common sight throughout Colorado
~

I'd never heard of a Yak, until I saw this one
~

More Yaks...a special breed on this ranch in Colorado
~

"Hands off my treat!"
~

Another common sight in Colorado are the Magpies...pretty birds.
I now wish I had taken more photos of them!
~

This was also the first time I had seen a Mountain Bluebird- what a pretty bird!
~

One of my favorite photos- this friendly dog visits the Jerky store every day-
he looks as though he is "placing his order"- "I'll take a sample of each, please".
~

Thank you for visiting!  I hope you enjoyed these Colorado critters!

Linked with Eileen, our wonderful hostess, at

Saturday's Critters

Favorite Critters of Yellowstone

This Saturday, I thought I'd share some of my favorite critter photos taken during our trip to Yellowstone National Park.  If you've never been Yellowstone, you're missing out on some of the most beautiful scenery and wildlife in the USA.  I hope to return there one day, and stay a bit longer.  

This big guy was lounging in the grassy shore along a small river.  When the elk stood up, several people backed away.  He didn't seem to be bothered at all by the crowds...he slowly crossed the river and went on about his business.

Young elk eating some crispy green leaves

This female had just waded across the river so she was drip drying 

Look at those cute little elk ears poking up :) 

A bison and young calf grazing together

This big bull was sniffing me out.  For a brief moment, I felt my arm hairs rise.

The largest bull elk I saw was in the Mammoth Springs area of Yellowstone park- he was massive!  He and his female herd were in town for the first few weeks of rutting season. When a few of the cows wandered away, this assertive bull stood up, took a few steps and bugled loudly.  The cows immediately returned to their herd.  It was quite a spectacle to watch. 

See the irony of these photos together?  My perception of it- "If you're crazy enough to approach this bull, then you'll likely see the inside of this clinic".   

I managed to capture photos of a couple coyotes in two separate areas of Yellowstone. One scampered along the river bank and the other walked unhurried through a large, open meadow. 

I hope you enjoyed my critter photos today...I certainly enjoyed shooting them ;)

For more great critter photos, visit Saturday's Critters with our wonderful hostess, Eileen

Have a great Saturday and wonderful Labor Day weekend Peeps!!!

The Elk Who Stopped Traffic

Elk were released into the Great Smoky National Park in 2001 to help preserve their species. During our trip there last fall, I had hoped we would see a few of them- and we did...

During our drive from Gatlinburg to Cherokee, my hubby said, "I see something moving ahead". As we drew closer, we realized it was Elk. They were coming down from the mountains through the forest, looking to graze in the open fields across the road. The bull elk was huge and made it known that HE was in charge. He stopped dead center in the road then turned and waited for the does to make it across the road. When they caught up with him, he let out a loud squealing sound, often call "bugling"...the mating call of the bull elk.

Leader of the pack

He is patiently waiting...

for his groupies to cross the road

He lets out an ear-piercing rebel yell

and watches over the does as they graze in the open field

It's clear who's the boss, isn't it?  :)  This was our first time to see Elk in the national park since their release and I was grateful that we just happened to be at the right place, at the right time.  

Linked with Eileen on Saturday's Critters

Thanks, Eileen for being a super host for this fun meme!

Good Fences #20- Colorado Country

For this edition of Good Fences, I have a few more photos to share from our Colorado vacation a few years ago.  Most of these images were captured along Colorado highways on our return trip home- how I hated to leave such a beautiful place!  

A fence can't get any more simple than this one...

but the scenery in the background is beautiful!

(This is actually the Tetons in Wyoming)

A herd of elk were seen moving from an overgrown meadow to a grazing area

This Red-Tailed Hawk found a sturdy post upon which to eat his snake meal

 He hurriedly devoured his last bite of snake-

then off he fled...

A common critter seen in open fields along several portions of the Colorado highways 

is the Prairie Dog- we saw literally hundreds of burrows as we traveled through Colorado.

I tried to sneak a closer view, but all I saw was "tails" as they fled to their burrows.  Cute!

A young antelope stood still long enough for me to capture a good view of him- 

another common animal seen  in the fields of Colorado.

I hope you enjoyed my images from the country side of Colorado :)

Linked with Theresa at Good Fences
and Eileen at Saturday's Critters

Thanks, Theresa and Eileen for hosting these wonderful memes!