Mount Evans, July 2021: Everything That Wasn't Mountain Goats

After a one-year, COVID-inspired hiatus, this summer saw a long overdue return to Colorado.  In fact, the entire family came this time for a week in the cooler Rocky Mountain air.

A reunion with the mountain goats on Mount Evans was definitely on the schedule.  And as usual, there were plenty of other beautiful things to see that morning.

Bird on a fencepost is a no-brainer for me.  Any time I see one, I will take its picture.  This American Pipit was no exception.

As devastating as summer wildfires are, the smoke they produce does add something beautiful to a sunrise.

I have unpredictable interactions with Yellow-Bellied Marmots.  Sometimes they scurry off at my approach.  Other times they sit contentedly as if they couldn't care less about me.  On those occasions, I get the luxury of waiting for them to do something silly, like bite their own tongue.

Or give a meerkat pose.

This young Bighorn Sheep seemed to quite enjoy my attention, seemingly asking if I was getting his good side.

On this day, I was pleasantly surprised to get more of the "sit still" variety of marmot than the "scurry away" sort.

Portrait of the Bighorn as a Young Ram.

I tipped another photographer to a group of mountain goats who were just out of sight from the road.  To return the favor, she pointed me to a small group of White-tailed Ptarmigan.  Despite her clear direction I still had a devil of a time finding them.  Their camouflage is no joke.

Once I did find my first, I eventually picked out a total of nine.  The males would sometimes make calls.

The females were quieter, but tended to move around a bit more.

The fowl seemed quite content, and I didn't want to do anything to change that.  So I only spent a short time shooting them, and kept a respectful distance away.

As the morning warmed, the marmots seemed intent in absorbing some of that warmth directly off the asphalt of the road.  And looking a bit languid in the process.

If I hadn't seen a single mountain goat, these shots would have made the morning rewarding enough.  But I did, in fact, see mountain goats.  And you will, too, in my next post!