Friday, September 10, 2010

Watching Pika


Che Che, Pika calls
On rocky slopes he watches
Hiding in plain sight
There he goes, he's on the move.
What's this? Is it good to eat?
Smells good.
Tastes good too.
That's enough, Time to go.
I heard the Pika call while hiking but wasn't prepared to take photos, he is small and shy and I didn't have my telephoto lens.  I returned the next day, prepared to sit and watch.  This furry little creature is not a rodent as many think but related to rabbits and hares; no long tail like a mouse or rat, just a little puff of fur.
I had a good day and I hope you enjoy the results as much as I did. 

You can see more critters captured by our cameras at Camera Critters hosted for us by Misty Dawn.

19 comments:

Gaelyn said...

Your persistence really paid off and I'm glad. I've only caught brief sight of these little yet noisy Pikas.

Diane AZ said...

I really enjoyed this post, thanks for sharing the Pika, he's adorable!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

pika looks like a rat. Sorry I don't like rats.

You must have a great camera and quick fingers,

Eds said...

Great entry! I love your journey with Pita..:)

http://www.abc1on1.com/2010/09/camera-critters-127-weird-insect.html

Mike B. @ slugyard.com said...

A critter in the best sense of the word! Great shots.

Oskar said...

That little Pika is very adorable!

Thank you for stopping by my blog.

Nubbin' wiggles,
Oskar

Joe Todd said...

A fun post. Thanks

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the effort and introducing me to a fellow I did not hear of before. Please have you all a good Sunday.

daily athens

Anonymous said...

The pika is very tiny. I enlarged your first picture and saw its size. I've never heard of a pika. It resembles a mouse to me. It is a cute little thing though! I'm glad that you went back the next day and waited. Your persistence paid off; nice pictures!

Veronica said...

Great post. Such a cute little fella!!

Anonymous said...

Wow - I would think it would be so hard to see him in the rocks. great shots.

Barb said...

I can visualize you sitting quietly near the rocks waiting for Pika to come! I wasn't as lucky when I saw one gathering greens a couple weeks ago - I did see his cache,though! Are you going back to the cabin?

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

A wonderful series of photos. I couldn't spot it in the 1st shot though!

Joanne Olivieri said...

Great shots and he blends in with the rocks. He's a cutie.

Carly said...

What a neat little creature! Great pictures. Thanks for sharing!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Martha! What a wonderful post. I don't think I've heard of this animal, so I really learned something new today. I enlarged each of the pictures -- what a great job you have done here. So glad you went back. Thanks for sharing.

Katney said...

They are soooooooo quick and hard to photograph.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Great pics. You are very patient.

Ebie said...

I never heard of this creature. It would be fun watching Pika hop and smell the surroundings.