Pika spend their short summers gathering alpine grasses and plant into tiny hay bales that they dry out for use in the winter. They don't hibernate, and are awake and active in their burrows and tunnels. If you get too close to one of their tiny hay bales, they will emit a loud"EEENK" noise to get you to back off. They're considered "canary in the coal mine" species, as they're very sensitive to environmental changes.
Pika are also difficult to photograph.They're small (about the size of a small to medium potato), blend in well with their surroundings, run between and under rocks in the talus,and seems to be constantly on the move.
