Daily Postcard: Three prairie dogs scan the area Wednesday at Valles Caldera National Preserve. The Gunnison’s prairie dog is often the first wild animal spotted by visitors to Valles Caldera. Watch for them and listen for their high-pitched chatters near the Entrance Station, along the Cerro La Jara Loop and beside the Valle Grande Exploration Trail. These highly social critters inhabit the montane grasslands throughout the park, living in colonies that can contain hundreds of interconnected burrows, chambers and underground tunnels. They have a sophisticated communication system with a variety of chirps and calls to warn their colony of approaching predators and other dangers. Learn more here. Photo by Stan Ford/NPS