2507_1990 Richardson's Ground Squirrel
Sitting regally on a glacial erratic of pink granite, the ground squirrel looked so good that I had to stop for a shot. Nice soft light. To spend any time photographing them is to invite all kinds of scorn from some of the locals, who can see no reason whatsoever for taking a picture of their nemesis rodent. The "gopher" that digs holes in their pastures and dams. To summarize, "They're not real popular around here."
So it goes. We humans tend to vilify any wildlife species that finds itself in direct competition with us. I knew an old woman who would swerve on the local roads to intentionally run over ground squirrels, while doing the same to avoid hitting rattlesnakes.
But without Richardson's Ground Squirrels, we wouldn't have any Ferruginous Hawks; their diet is comprised almost exclusively of these rodents. They feed a lot of coyotes, badgers, owls, eagles, weasels, foxes, and other predators, too. A keystone species, you might say.
I feel no need to explain myself to the incredulous or to those merely lacking imagination. I'm interested in anything with fur, feathers, or scales. Admittedly, these guys aren't very high on my want list, because they are so common and relatively easy to photograph. Nevertheless, if it is willing to pose for me so nicely, I'll take the shot!
Photographed along the access road to Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2025 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2507_1990 Richardson's Ground Squirrel
Sitting regally on a glacial erratic of pink granite, the ground squirrel looked so good that I had to stop for a shot. Nice soft light. To spend any time photographing them is to invite all kinds of scorn from some of the locals, who can see no reason whatsoever for taking a picture of their nemesis rodent. The "gopher" that digs holes in their pastures and dams. To summarize, "They're not real popular around here."
So it goes. We humans tend to vilify any wildlife species that finds itself in direct competition with us. I knew an old woman who would swerve on the local roads to intentionally run over ground squirrels, while doing the same to avoid hitting rattlesnakes.
But without Richardson's Ground Squirrels, we wouldn't have any Ferruginous Hawks; their diet is comprised almost exclusively of these rodents. They feed a lot of coyotes, badgers, owls, eagles, weasels, foxes, and other predators, too. A keystone species, you might say.
I feel no need to explain myself to the incredulous or to those merely lacking imagination. I'm interested in anything with fur, feathers, or scales. Admittedly, these guys aren't very high on my want list, because they are so common and relatively easy to photograph. Nevertheless, if it is willing to pose for me so nicely, I'll take the shot!
Photographed along the access road to Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2025 James R. Page - all rights reserved.