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Project Noah Nature School
Ovis c. canadensis
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_NIw5mD5qw] While Bighorns rams, in general weigh 150-300 lbs and ewes 75-150 lbs, the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep rams occasionally weighing up to 500# and ewes over 200#. Their coats are typically brown with overtones of graying and all sport the tell-tale white rump with a short dark brown tail. Both males and females have horns, although the horns of the rams are much larger. Someone standing near me had strong binoculars and confirmed there were no less than 20 individuals, but no adult in this group. On examining the photos I found he was wrong. There were no adult rams, but there were several adult ewes, one of which was sporting a tracking collar (foto #4). Typically the males congregate separately while the ewes stay with the “kids” in groups of 15-20. It sure looked like the “kids” were having fun.
This herd was seen from a point at the entrance to The Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, CO. Looking at topographical maps, it is estimated the herd was on peaks 3 miles away.
I was thrilled to see how well the pictures turned out. When first spotted, they looked like ants crawling around on a rocky peak on the other side of a huge valley (see foto #6 - the hill in the left- middle of the picture). If it hadn’t been for the guy with the binoculars, we wouldn’t even have been able to identify them as sheep. With my optical zoom maxed out at 40X, the YouTube Video (my first!) shows some camera shake, even with a monopod. Nonetheless, this is the highlight of the week long visit to the Colorado Rockies. Bighorns in the Wild. A piece of trivia: The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep is the State Animal of Colorado.
Spotted on Aug 26, 2019
Submitted on Sep 16, 2019
9 Comments
Missed this Mauna. Thanks. Delightful they were :-)
Delightful!
Thanks Mark. I was expecting elk, but not bighorns. A happy surprise as I've seen lots of elk. And I've been called a lot worse than "Yukup" :-) So Neil, no worries, mate. (Supply your own accent please).
Great spotting sir. Gotta love how sheep (and goats) like to be higher than the rest. That first shot is a classic.
..and you really shouldn't call him Yukup Neil. 😀
Sounds wonderful. Cold mountain air is so invigorating. I totally understand the steadiness factor too. My rock hopping/climbing skills are certainly not what they used to be, and looking back on more agile times, I don't know if I was fearless or just plain stupid. I fear it was the latter :-/
Thanks Neil. We were in a cabin at 9,200 ft for a week and saw some wonderful things, but this was the highlight of the whole time. Using a stick for a monopod - yeah, been there, done that. This one is adjustable and is a huge help as I'm not as steady as I used to be :-)
This is a great spotting, Yukup. Awesome photos, and the notes are excellent. I doubt I'll ever see a Bighorn Sheep in the wild, so thanks for sharing your experience. Oh, and my monopod is usually a low-tech, gnarly stick I picked up in the bush.
Thanks Sukanya. Can you believe the zoom? I can't thank you enough for your input on my selection of a new camera.
The video is great!