Just like the Pika, this was another species that I've been itching to photograph. However, I've already had quite a few encounters with this type of Ground Squirrel before, just never with my camera during nice lighting. The first time I saw a Golden Mantled was actually on a hike up to the peak of Mt. Lassen. At first I thought it was a Chipmunk due to the coloring and stripes on its back that resemble Chipmunk stripes. But something was off; mainly the size. These Ground Squirrels are a bit heftier than Chipmunks and don't have the obvious stripes on their faces like Chipmunks do. I finally made it back out to Lassen to capture some photos of the Golden Mantled ground squirrels and I'm very stoked to share them with you.
BAM☺︎
