‘Trifecta’ of critters pose in unlikely photo in CO. See the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ shot
A wildlife photographer captured a “once-in-a-lifetime” nature shot with a trifecta of critters all together on a Colorado mountain.
The photos show a small herd of mountain goats, a bald eagle and a yellow-bellied marmot all together on a ridge on Mount Blue Sky, one of Colorado’s most iconic “14ers” — a mountain with an elevation over 14,000 feet above sea level.
“It was amazing. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime shot,” Dominic Weskamp said of capturing the photo. “I always hope when I go out to get pictures I can get two or three pictures of different wildlife. I don’t ever dream of getting three in the same picture.”
Weskamp drove up to Summit Lake hoping to catch a glimpse of some mountain goats and was met with the small herd right there in the parking lot, he told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
But the parking lot and its bathrooms didn’t make for a very interesting shot, so he followed the herd up the trail until they disappeared over a ridge.
That’s when his wife pointed out an eagle soaring overhead, he said.
“Sure enough this bald eagle’s just soaring,” he said. “Next thing I know it lands right up on top of that ridge.”
They hiked up to get a closer look — and saw the marmot chirping at the eagle from 10 yards away, he said.
“I’m thinking, ‘what’s that marmot doing up there just asking for trouble?’ And then ‘wouldn’t it be great if those mountain goats came over?’” he said. “Next thing I know, six of them stopped right in front of that eagle.”
Ta-da. Weskamp’s once-in-a-lifetime shot fell into place right before his eyes.
“Not sure who was photo bombing who but this series of a Bald Eagle and a small herd of Mountain Goats is epic!” Weskamp said in a July 25 Facebook post in a Colorado photography group. “Had a Yellow Bellied Marmot in a few of them too. Shot up at Summit Lake below Mt Bluesky/Evans.”
Weskamp posted a video of the moment as well, which shows the eagle perched on a rock at the top of the ridge as the marmot “chirps away” at him, as Weskamp put it.
“This is a busy photo, taken on a ridge up at Summit Lake below Mt. Bluesky,” he said in another post in the group. “It has a Bald Eagle, a Yellow Bellied Marmot and 2 Mountain Goats! Add to that some wild flowers and a blue sky and it’s a once in a life time photo opportunity!”
“Fabulous! You are so lucky!” someone said under the photo.
Even the state’s governor noticed the iconic shot. Gov. Jared Polis shared the photo to his government Instagram account on July 30.
“A bald eagle, a mountain goat, and a marmot have their yearly meeting on Mount Blue Sky,” Polis said in the caption. “Why did the bald eagle, mountain goat, and marmot never form a band? Because the eagle kept ruffling feathers, the goat was always butting heads, and the marmot’s chirps were out of tune.”
While the governor reposting his photo was awesome, nothing can top the experience of stumbling upon the once-in-a-lifetime sight, Weskamp said. Once he’d captured some shots, he made sure to put his camera down to take in the view.
“I’m never gonna see that again, so I wanted to watch it and enjoy it and appreciate it,” he said.
This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 1:22 PM with the headline "‘Trifecta’ of critters pose in unlikely photo in CO. See the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ shot."
