I had never seen pikas before visiting Grand Teton National Park in 2005. This is the second one I saw, sitting in a boulder field along the trail to Death Canyon. The first was a little earlier on the trail but also a little further away. This was one was much more cooperative and so I spent quite a bit of time watching it. It eventually popped up onto this rock with a view of the fall colors behind it.
A beautiful moment on a beautiful trail in a beautiful park.
Excellent!
Come closer human, come closer. You’re about to walk into my trap!
Wait, why are you stopping?
Doggone it, he’s got a telephoto lens, he doesn’t need to come closer! What kind of fool carries such a heavy lens this far up the canyon?
I came across this beautiful pika just below Inspiration Point on the trail into Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton National Park. The picture was taken with Canon’s 100-400mm lens, a moderately sized telephoto lens. Pikas were one of the creatures I was anxious to see again on my visit, so I was thrilled to see a few on my day hikes in the several days I spent in the park.