Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Mountain goat nanny lounges with her kid

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A mountain goat nanny and kid lounge on the tundra above timberline. (© Tony’s Takes)
A mountain goat nanny and kid lounge on the tundra above timberline. (© Tony’s Takes)

With the weather here in Colorado slowly starting to turn warmer, I can’t help but be anxious to return to all the places and critters of the high country. The mountain goats of Mount Evans are always a highlight and I always make it up there a few times each year.

They are so beautiful and the kids are cute and entirely entertaining. There are down times, such as this, taken last July around mid-morning. The kid had been playing with its friends for much of the previous two hours and finally decided it was time to take a break. A spot on the tundra among the wildflowers and boulders was a good place for them to lie and made for a nice capture.

Mountain Goats are actually not native to the Centennial State. They were brought here over six transplant operations from 1948 to 1972 as game animals and tourist attractions. Those 50 or so Mountain Goats grew to numbers in the thousands today.

Mountain goat kid takes a flying leap

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A mountain goat kid leaps between boulders on Mount Evans in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A mountain goat kid leaps between boulders on Mount Evans in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

In terms of just ‘fun wildlife viewing’, it is hard to beat mountain goat kids. Their antics provide an abundance of smiles and entertainment and let’s face it, they are simply adorable.

When the herd shows up at the top of Mount Evans in the mornings, there is little doubt who are the stars of the show. Tourists and photographers quickly focus their attention on them and the little ones seem to relish all the attention.

On this morning back in July they seemed particularly rambunctious as they bounded around, jumped from rock to rock and play fought each other. Despite being one of the smallest kids, this one was not about to be shown up by the slightly older ones. Here. It takes a bit of a leap between boulders, showcasing how even at a very young age, mountain goats are extremely agile.

Mountain Goat nanny and kid guard the house

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A Mountain Goat nanny and kid guard the remnants of the Crest House on top of Mount Evans in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Mountain Goat nanny and kid guard the remnants of the Crest House on top of Mount Evans in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

A fun capture from back in July on a visit to Mount Evans, Colorado. These two were walking around the remnants of the Crest House, a restaurant that used to operate up there until a fire burned it down in 1979. Needless to say, I did not try to enter while they were in the way. 😉 The road to the 14,271 foot high mountain is now closed for the season but I am, as always, anxious for spring when it opens again.

Mountain Goat kid in the early morning light

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A Mountain Goat kid enjoys the warmth of the rising sun on Mount Evans in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Mountain Goat kid enjoys the warmth of the rising sun on Mount Evans in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Such a cute little one, eh? Taken back in July, this kid was hanging out near the top of Mount Evans in Colorado with the rest of the herd. The sun had just crested the horizon and it turned its head just right to allow the soft light to hit it perfectly.

I probably won’t get to see another one of these beautiful creatures until the spring but at least I have lots of pics and memories of this past season with them.

Mountain Goats are actually not native to the Centennial State. They were brought here over six transplant operations from 1948 to 1972 as game animals and tourist attractions. Those 50 or so Mountain Goats grew to numbers in the thousands today.

It must be Monday when you want to beat your head on a post

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It must be Monday when you want to beat your head on a post. 😀

Okay, that really isn’t the case here but you know we all oftentimes feel like that when the workweek starts. Taken a couple of weeks ago, this Mountain Goat opted to use a roadside marker as a scratching post. Pretty convenient when you don’t have the fingers to do it otherwise.

Certainly I hope your week is starting off well without the desire to hit your head on something. 😉

A Mountain Goat uses a roadside marker as a scratching post on Mount Evans in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Mountain Goat uses a roadside marker as a scratching post on Mount Evans in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

“See you next spring!”

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Pretty much my last look at a Mountain Goat until next spring. It seemed fitting that one of the last images I captured of one was of this cute one as it headed around the side of Mount Evans and out of view. The road to this very popular Mountain Goat hangout closes after Labor Day every year due to typically deteriorating weather conditions as the seasons change and won’t open up again until Memorial Day weekend.

See more of these cool creatures here.

A Mountain Goat seems to bid farewell as it disappears over the side of Mount Evans. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Mountain Goat seems to bid farewell as it disappears over the side of Mount Evans. (© Tony’s Takes)

A mountain of Mountain Goats

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A fun image from back in June when I spent time with the herd on top of Mount Evans, Colorado. As usual, the animals were spending the morning hanging out entertaining the tourists and photographers.

After a time, they then proceeded around the east face of the mountain, bounding higher and across the large rocks. This made for a great photo opportunity to capture a large number of them in a single image, something you usually can’t do. It is a bummer the skies were so hazy but it still made for a neat shot.

A Mountain Goat herd hangs out high on Mount Evans, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Mountain Goat herd hangs out high on Mount Evans, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Little one lounging in the alpine tundra

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Adorable, cute, darling… All of those are applicable adjectives to apply to Mountain Goat kids, including this one.

Following a bit of a wild rumpus with other young ones in the herd, this kid decided it was time for a break. While mom grazed on the foliage nearby, it opted to just lay down and relax. That didn’t mean it wasn’t paying attention and it seemed as interested in watching me as I was in watching it.

A Mountain Goat kid hangs out on the alpine tundra near the summit of Mount Evans, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Mountain Goat kid hangs out on the alpine tundra near the summit of Mount Evans, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Mountain Goat kid takes the leap to get to mom

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A little bit of high country drama involving this little one, its herd and humans and dogs.

As usual, the Mountain Goat herd on Mount Evans was hanging out near the parking area this past Saturday morning. There were probably a dozen or more tourists and photographers enjoying watching the animals as they bounded on the mountain.

A young couple with two dogs decided to disregard commonsense and bring their pets close to the herd. To wildlife, dogs are predators, and the herd reacted as you would expect – they quickly fled down the mountain a ways to distance themselves.

In the process, this poor little kid got separated from its mom. It was initially out of my view but I could hear it desperately calling for help. It seemed like an eternity but finally it topped the hill behind me and was able to see the herd. Quickly, it bounded down the rock face of the hill flying right by me to its mom.

It was quite close and the action fast but I managed a few shots as it went by including this one as it leapt off one of the rocks.

While it made for a cool capture, the situation that created it was frustrating. I have dogs and I love dogs. However, they and wildlife simply do not mix – period. By choosing to bring their dogs in close proximity to the Mountain Goats, they stressed the animals, created unnecessary drama and a potentially dangerous situation, and ruined a great wildlife viewing opportunity for tourists and photographers.

I see this time and again in this spot and many others and it is very frustrating. If you have dogs and take them with you to locations with wildlife, keep them well out of sight and earshot of the wildlife.

Mountain Goats are pretty docile and not likely to attack. Moose, elk and other creatures may not be so quick to retreat. Be courteous to others there to enjoy these gifts from Mother Nature.

Scroll down to view the complete sequence of images.

A Mountain Goat kid bounds down the mountain to get to its mom. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Mountain Goat kid bounds down the mountain to get to its mom. (© Tony’s Takes)