Endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep 2021

Endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep 2021

Dale Matson

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Sharon and I spent two sunny days in the Bishop area of California. I got some nice snowy landscape photographs but primarily we were there to try and locate, view, photograph and video the endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep.

Each year we do this we refine our searches with some advance information from the CDFW and Steve Yeager (AKA the sheep whisperer) We focused on about three areas with the second day bringing us the closest photographs. 

A super telephoto lens is nice but the closer you can get, the sharper the shot. Even with a good tripod, the high canyon winds make photography difficult. It is a clever cat and mouse game you play with the sheep. They have an imaginary line where they will walk away from you as you approach. 

I can’t imagine more fun on a sunny day then watching these marvelous creatures once you find them, If you find them. We located one group of about 35 sheep and one other group of about 17 sheep. 

Steve told us about a group of rams but even after three separate trips to the area, we could not find any sheep! I hope we can find time for another trip yet this winter. 

Crazy Horns

Photo by Sharon

Photograph Of The Day

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Golden Eagle

Yes, there’s snow in the Sierra and Sharon, Hobbes (our mini Golden Doodle) and I did a mile or so but the action is starting to heat up down here near Fresno.

The eagles are hard to find this year at Millerton Lake because the water is so low. The trees the birds perch in to watch for fish are so far from the water that the birds are not in their usual places. I have not gone up yet to check on the Golden Eagles on the Madera side but I did see one perched in one of the usual places with my 10 power binoculars.

Today I went out to Madera county where we followed a pair of Goldens for the last three years. I am not quite sure what is going on with the pair this year but I got a photograph of one of the Goldens in a light rain on top of the nest tree. There was no activity in the nest that I could tell for the almost two hours the two of us (the bird and me) sat there. So here is a teaser for now.

Patience is a wildlife photographer’s best friend.