Tag Archives: Marmots

Marmot Sightings

Apr 2, 2024 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 44 Comments

We have a large marmot colony living nearby in the rock breakwater next to an area of the lake.

They are awake, active and very healthy looking after their hibernation.

They will allow people to observe them but getting too close makes them nervous and they will disappear into their large communal burrow below the rocks.

I love how they are constantly greeting each other with great affection and murmurings.

All marmots, including the ones above, are protected in British Columbia, especially the Vancouver Island marmots which have been brought back from the brink of extinction but whose numbers are still critically low.

Happy Tuesday.

Commentary, nature, Photography

Marmots

Jun 14, 2023 Lynette d'Arty-Cross 26 Comments

We have a colony of marmots along the rock breakwater at the edge of Okanagan Lake. M and I discovered them on one of our morning walks.

This one was stock still and keeping a close eye on us, ready to give his community a warning if needed.

There were a number of community members about, socialising and eating.

This one has a different colouration, probably because it seems to be younger.

There are quite a few different varieties of marmots, but essentially they are large ground squirrels and are a part of the family sciuridae. This family also includes the famous weather-predicting groundhogs of stage and screen.

This little community has found a great location to call home; it’s just around the bend in the path shown below, where it begins to follow the shoreline.