Bighorn Sheep / Ovis canadensis - a photo on Flickriver

            On 8 July 2024, I ended up doing another 10-hour drive, this time to Kananaskis.  There are a few mountain peaks and ranges that I always love to see along the highway and I always stop to take a few shots.  

On the way out there, I checked a few of my 'usual' places closer to home, but was out of luck with all the birds I had hoped to see.  So much so, that I was almost tempted to turn around and go back home.  No WIlson's Snipe, no Mountain Bluebirds and so on.  Also, I wasn't sure if it looked rather smoky over the mountains.  Decided to keep going, though.

No bears, no Pikas to be seen.  While I was stopped briefly at one location, I heard a lot of very loud bangers going off, so I guess Parks people were making sure that any bears were pushed further into the forest, away from the edges of the road.  I did see several Bighorn Sheep, including one that was walking down a very steep talus slope to reach the road below.  It is practically impossible to get these animals to move off the road!  Talk about stubborn.  They lick the salt (and other minerals) off the highway.

My main stops during the drive were at a few beautiful, scenic views.  At my furthest destination, after taking a few photos, I decided to drive just a little further along the road and when I turned around and reached the spot that I had just left, a man got out of his vehicle and waved me over.  He asked if I would be able to give their vehicle a boost.  No problem at all, and soon he and his family, feeling relieved and grateful, were able to continue their drive. 

I was SO tired and was finding it hard to keep my eyes open.  The bright sun didn't help.  Thank goodness I had brought a drink of strong, black coffee from home, as it was much needed.

Our weather has been SO hot the last few days, with more of the same for quite a few more days.  Despite all the rain that fell before this hot spell, the risk of wildfires remains.  The weather forecast for today, 10 July, is 34°C (feels like 36°C),  This will be 10-13°C above normal across most of Alberta tomorrow.  SO thankful for air-conditioning in my car, as I don't have it in my home.  

My computer is acting up early this evening = my screen is hot, so maybe it is the heat that is causing issues, plus I am just about out of room on my computer.  It must be around 30C in my computer room, even with three fans blowing in the house.

Taken on: July 8, 2024

Tags:

Alberta

Canada

K-Country

Rocky Mountains

Canadian Rockies

nature

wildlife

wild

animal

wild animal

Bighorn Sheep

Ovis canadensis

female

side view

licking salt off highway

road

trees

forest

outdoor

summer

8 July 2024

Canon

SX60

Canon SX60

Powershot

annkelliott

Anne Elliott

IMG_3048 « less

Sets appears in: • A long day SW of Calgary & in Kananaskis, 8 July 2024 • Canon SX60, No.2 more » • Wild animals of Alberta 3 « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX60 HS, f/5.6, 1/400 sec, 111.5mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX60 HS
Lens:	3.8-247.0 mm
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	111.5mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 12.0 Windows
Show full info

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