Prairie Dog Gathers Hay
White-tailed prairie dog gathering hay
I’ve observed a new behavior in “our” white-tailed prairie dogs in the employee housing area of Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado. They are gathering hay for their burrows.
Watch this short video to see how it’s done:
It reminds me of the smaller mountain pikas who gather grasses and leaves and dry them on the rocks before bringing them inside their burrows. Read the rest of this entry »
Prairie Dog Village Video
See these cute critters in action. White-tailed prairie dogs live in (and under) the employee housing area at Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado.
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Meerkat Cousins
White-tailed prairie dogs
One might think this is Meerkat Manor, but it’s actually Prairie Dog Town here in the employee housing area at Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado.
Whenever I’ve seen prairie dogs in Texas or other places, they are so shy I could never get a good photograph. However, the ones who live here are quite comfortable living around humans. Perhaps they feel we keep some of their predators at bay. They do like burrowing under our houses. Read the rest of this entry »
View From My Summer Home
View from the employee housing area, Colorado
The employee housing area for Dinosaur National Monument on the Colorado side is at around 5,900 feet in elevation, and even though it’s 2,300 feet lower than that at Mesa Verde, this area reminds me so much of my summer there three years ago. The Utah junipers and pinyon pines are familiar. But instead of scrub oak we have big sagebrush.
Mule deer buck in velvet
We had mule deer at Mesa Verde, often in bachelor herds like we have parading through our yards here. Read the rest of this entry »
Wild Horses of Sand Wash Basin – Sunset
The day’s last light cast a golden glow on the landscape and the horses of the Sand Wash Basin near Maybell, Colorado. The palomino stallion had been grazing alone across the road for quite awhile, and now rejoins the herd. Is he the herd stallion? He initiated many enthusiastic interactions, as if he were saying “glad to see ya, buddy” or maybe “don’t forget who’s boss.” Read the rest of this entry »
Wild Horses of Sand Wash Basin – Portraits
This is part 3 of the Wild Horses of Sand Wash Basin. I hope to know the names of these beautiful horses. Enjoy these portraits! Read the rest of this entry »
Wild Horses of Sand Wash Basin – Interactions
To continue the story from the previous post:
As the sun lowered in the clear sky, the horses became more animated. Smaller bands joined into a larger herd and some minor skirmishes broke out. Since I don’t know much about horse behavior, I will just be guessing, but it looked more like play than any real challenge. Read the rest of this entry »
Wild Horses of Sand Wash Basin – Foals
I was very happy to discover that the Bureau of Land Management maintains four Herd Management Areas in Colorado to protect the feral horses – two of them fairly close to where I am currently living. I visited the Sand Wash Basin area, which is also on the way to the Gates of Lodore entrance to Dinosaur National Monument. Read the rest of this entry »
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