When I entered the Park yesterday, the ranger reported that Desert Bighorn Sheep had been sighted at Barker Dam recently, so I headed straight there. On the trail I passed a lot of other hikers, figuring that if I could get there first, I'd get the best chances for good viewing. It was less than .5 mile in and there they were! I saw the oldest rams first, the male lookouts up above. As I drew closer, the rest of the band came into view, grazing contentedly. They were quite at ease, as long as you didn't get much closer than around 30 feet.I couldn't believe that other people came along, watched for a few minutes and then left. I couldn't get enough. Eventually I realized that they were slowly working their way to the water pond about 300 feet away. They were following the lowest point in the gulch, where the most green grass was growing. So I walked ahead a ways, sat down in the shade under a small tree, and waited for them to pass by! Sure enough, they slowly meandered closer, eating as they went, right in front of me. I lucked out with the timing of the video. I guessed when they were about to make their move to bypass me, and starting filming when the lead ram stepped ahead of the rest. Enjoy!
NOTE: If the embedded video above doesn't work for you, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSJkAtHh8bs
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