Bighorn Sheep Ovis canadensis seen yesterday at the rocky hillside near the boat ramp at Gingko Petrified Forest State Park at Vantage, WA. I stopped see the usual Rock Wrens Salpinctes obsoletus there and to show Marian the petrified forest museum. As we drove down the hill to the boat ramp area 16 Bighorn Sheep ambled down the hillside close to the road, seemingly without a care in the world.
These are big animals, with the rams sometimes weighing over 315 lbs (143 kg) and they are especially adept at walking on steep rocky mountain slopes.
These goats had no difficulty leaping over a wire fence:
It looks like these sheep are shedding their winter coat and they looked shaggy, but really health to me.
We did find a good number of pretty cool birds on the day trip too including:
Mountain Bluebird (male) Sialia currucoides
Sage Thrasher taking flight Oreoscoptes montanus
Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya
You have to love surprises like Bighorn Sheep while birding.
Good birding. Good day!
