Coffee With Friends



The sun was cresting the hill tops this morning and my time before heading off to work is spent out on the back deck soaking in the early morning warmth with a cup of hot java from BushyBeard Coffee! Backing onto a wetland reserve there is no shortage of activity each and every morning and with the sounds of spring filling the morning air, my work day always starts with a smile! Well at least it starts that way.

This morning was a bit of a welcome surprise! This usually quite den was a bustle with activity. I have watched single marmots sun themselves atop this hill for the past two spring and summers but today was the first sign of what I assume to be a successful mating season. I had no idea of what lay hidden deep in those rocks. My wife and I have had many conversations about the biology of these quiet shy neighbours of ours. For instance, they disappeared mid summer last year leaving us bewildered as to where they went. I had many hypothesis about the disappearance none of which I care to share and all of which were dead wrong anyway. We later found out that they go back into hibernation very early in the season…who knew? Now with this new development it is all becoming more clear. I’m no expert on the Yellow Bellied Marmot but judging by the size of these young’ns, they must have been born sometime during the long winter hibernation. To my surprise, with the little time I spent, mom was no where to be seen. Needless to say I still had some real fun with the “new kids on the block!”

I shot this image with my 500 f4 and the my 5D III. Quite the sight for my neighbours I’m sure…big man in his back yard with big lens hunched over his tripod wearing only his boxer shorts at 6 in the morning:)

Update: Morning two. (today)

This morning was a little different with mom now on scene watching contently as the newbies got another taste of their new found freedom from the den. From yesterdays count I totalled five little tykes running amuck but upon review of this last image I shot this morning….six! The power of photography to reveal little details that are sometimes not so obvious at first, cool…

What a crew!

Ill keep my camera close by over the coming months and bring you some updates as to the well being of this gang. I suspect that all will not make it. We have a heavy coyote presence around this year and raptors are constantly soaring over head so we will see what happens….enjoy and leave a comment or suggestion if you so please!

P.S.
Here is some test footage I also shot…I was taken more or less to see if I could figure out how to get it from camera to web. I thought the first couple of seconds were cute when the two in the lower right fall back into the den…cheers!