Trail of Cedars Cathedral

This upturned tree at a boardwalk bench caught my attention and as I was following the broken roots up an idea struck me.  The roots and branches mimic each other to a certain extent. It is also humbling to be at the bottom of such tall trees.

Big Sky Country

I just finished a long day in the car and am thinking about the countryside I passed through. The sky is indeed big  but the land has been filled. This shot summarizes my impression of North Dakota and Montana after a long day of driving. 

Big Horn Sheep Die

The area along the old Yellowstone Road north of Gardiner, MT, is a great place to photograph big horn sheep during the November rut. Over this Thanksgiving weekend there were over 100 sheep along the road in the farm fields. Photographers lined the road to watch the spectacle. During the last couple weeks there has been a serious problem with the sheep falling victim to pneumonia, ten have died within the last two weeks. for more information check this link: Big Horn Sheep Deaths

Soaking up the sun

While the adults were busy eating, chasing, and being chased this lamb decided to enjoy the warm morning sun.  I'm back in Montana when I see this image. Lots more sheep to come over the next couple weeks.

Love is in the air

The big horn sheep rut is in full swing with rams competing for ewes. This shot seems more tasteful than the up close sniffing from behind that happens regularly. 

The Chase

A short movie of my recent Montana trip.  The beauty (agony) of video is time compression.  Five days of observation is distilled to less than a minute of video.  Everyone has seen the rams knocking heads, this is what happens to the winner.  He gets to run around for days on end waiting for the ewe to be ready for mating.

The Chase

The Next Generation

Continuing the Yellowstone theme despite the great opportunities in the snow yesterday. This youngster was curious and frequently feeding almost at my feet.  Most of the  herd was feeding for winter while the ram was burning energy chasing unwilling ewes.

Montana Backroads

It's time to take a break from sheep and share other Montana images.  We are heading back to Minnesota tomorrow with more images than I could have ever imagined.  John Pennoyer and I have spent the last five days in a photographer's dreamworld.

Lip Curling

Another name for this behavior is flemen.  Think of it as savoring a fine wine except in this case it's ewe urine.

Say Cheese

Ruminants chewing can produce some interesting facial expressions.  This ram posed for about half an hour before we left it and climbed the hillside looking for another subject.

Big Sky Country

The big horn sheep are very busy at keeping the species going, more images later.  This resting ram was soaking up the sun and enjoying the view.

Big Horn Quest

I'm on my way to Yellowstone to watch big horn sheep and perhaps get some good head banging shots.  We were there the third week in November during 2011 which was too early for serious competition.