1Pikas.
2This young male has been awake all winter,
3living on the food reserves he built up last year.
4For him, summer can't come soon enough.
5As the sun's warmth returns for just a few weeks,
6this harsh world is transformed into a rich, high-altitude meadow.
7It's what all the pikas here have been waiting for...
8for almost 10 months.
9There's no time to waste.
10Ready... Steady...
11Now they must collect as much food as quickly as they possibly can.
12But some of them seem in less of a hurry.
13Clearly, biding their time.
14The others are gathering leaves non-stop.
15They build haystacks and that takes a lot of work.
16Each mouthful has to be carefully placed to allow the sunlight to dry it.
17They also add a few leaves from other plants that contain chemicals
18which will help preserve the hay during the winter.
19As many as 11,000 return journeys may be needed
20to build a reasonably large haystack.
21And then, it has to be guarded against opportunistic neighbours.
22...
23The weather is showing signs of changing.
24It's time to make a move.
25...
26This pika specializes in stealing from its neighbours.
27...
28Got away with it. Again.