Sept. 24, 2007 - Bighorn Sheep, Zion NP

Canon 5D, 70 - 300 mm IS @ 300 mm, f/8, 1/1600 sec., ISO 400

This is one of those tales that ends with that old adage - "Be prepared!". We were wandering around the area above Zion Canyon known as the Zion Plateau one late afternoon. We knew, of course, that Bighorns inhabit the park, but we'd never seen any in any of our previous visits. Most people don't ever see them. This day, however, was different. As we came around a bend in the road, my wife became very excited and yelled for me to stop. She'd spotted 5 of them in the gully below us.

My biggest lens, naturally, was back in Springdale in the hotel room. All I had available was a 70 - 300 mm lens that turned out to be not quite long enough. This image is cropped significantly, but seems to have held up reasonably well. In any case, it was a thrill to simply see them - especially this younger one that came bounding down the rocks to join the others for "supper". Next time, I'll be ready. I just have to hope that there is a next time.