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Yellow-bellied Marmot
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Yellow-bellied Marmot

by Jim Hansen

Gallery: WildlifePosted May 23, 20161,054 views7 comments
I recently found a small colony of these animals in the Hat Creek Valley, just north of Mount Lassen, California.  I had never seen them at such a low elevation, just over 3,000 feet.  More used to seeing them at 8-10 thousand feet.  Their volcanic rockpiles were at the edge of a huge cow pasture.  I assume this is a young of the year, as I saw a litter of marmots of this same size next to a much larger adult.  D800e, Sigma 150-600 S @ 600, f 6.3, 1/800, ISO 800.  Comments and criticism are always appreciated.

Comments

7 comments
Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on May 23, 2016 at 9:11 PM
Hi Jim,

You did very well with this fine marmot. Comp and techs are excellent. Well donedevil........................Jim
Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments
Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on May 24, 2016 at 6:12 PM
Lovely composition, exposure and pose here Jim
Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments
Comment posted by Max Waugh on May 24, 2016 at 10:17 PM
It's always nice to see these guys on perches that match their colors.  The lichen on the rocks in this case is a nice touch.  The background is a great complement as well.

Max
Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Sharp on May 26, 2016 at 6:22 PM
The works fine and techs are spot on.  I like the simplicity and the comp.  Perhaps you could eliminate a bottom slice to make the relative mass of the rock a little less, but this is fine as posted.
Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Watkins on May 30, 2016 at 6:30 AM
Jim,
What a background!
Perfect pose and detail devil
Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments
Comment posted by Ed Williams on June 1, 2016 at 2:12 PM
Jim. Nice comp, great details and love the BG. We have seen the marmots in the Shasta Valley at similar altitudes in the lava rocks too.
Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments
Comment posted by Christopher Yeoh on June 4, 2016 at 5:50 AM
I love the capture, especially the sprayed fingers.
Registered on February 2, 2016, 4 Posts, 16 Comments