Rocky peaks of the mountains of southern Yakutia is usually treeless: the roots of the trees are difficult to grow in the rocks, hampered by the lack of moisture.
Here the Kingdom of pine stlanta, mosses and lichens; the latter are willing to “paste” chunks of rock glaciers, called here block disintegrated. In areas, where screes are combined with wet slopes, covered with grasses, pikas live, or senostavks. These rodents live in colonies, feed on herbs stock up for the winter in the form of small Stozhkov. Hay pika are very active, in case of rain, the wet hay hiding them under overhanging boulders.
The common animals are named for the habit to a sharp ciganu — whistle, in case of danger, and senostavks for the tendency to sensiitive. Animal small, fits in the palm, dressed in a plain gray coat, has a very sweet face with eyes-beads, similar in something with a rabbit and squirrel at a time, and small rounded ears.
…It was in the 60-ies… I climbed up the slope, when she heard the friendly cicagna several pikas. Made binoculars and a camera with a telephoto lens. The head of the colony was sitting on a rock thirty meters from me and informed colleagues about the appearance of danger. His brothers, peering from behind the rocks, shared with the leader short whistles, ready at any moment to slip away. I had a couple of clicks of the shutter of the camera with the telephoto lens, and the whole company disappeared.
Suddenly I noticed a red and white snake, rapidly moving among the stones in my direction. I prepared the camera, but the animal was already at my feet… and put front paws on my boot! It was a young ermine, has just embarked on the path of independence, great self-confidence.
Bearing in mind that the young predator will I be able to shoot telephoto no closer than four feet, I began to retreat, and he… already researched my opened backpack, where I just took out the telephoto lens!
The weasel tore the newspaper (it was wrapped the sandwiches with butter and salami), put teeth into the bread and was dissatisfied with urknall, bread he didn’t like, and slice the sausage was torn to pieces and consumed with greed, then the robber took up oil and fairly growled.
Alas, to make unique shots — “ermine backpack” failed out of the backpack was visible visible only the back and part of the tail. Quickly sated, the weasel flew out of the backpack and very pleased with the dinner, jumped up to me. Again, not to retreat, had to stamp his boot. Research his intentions suddenly faded, and he began to study me at a distance.
When they reached the dwellings of senostavks, ermine vanished into the stones, and instantly from beneath them came a muffled disturbing cicagna. The young thief broke into the dungeon, made a commotion. The anxious cries of senostavks sounded fainter and fainter, until he calmed down completely. About what was happening under my feet could only guess…
