In case you haven't figured it out, this week is all about the things we saw while on our quadding trip up at Grande Cache. Today I want to show you a fascinating group of mountain sheep that we saw down in one of the abandoned coal mines. From up high on the ridge above the mine, we had no idea these little guys were 'hiding' in one of the areas. Once we quadded down into the mine, we saw the flock of ewes first and later, further down on a ridge, saw some young rams resting and 'playing' by butting their heads. Bryce and Ed crawled closer to them and watched through the binoculars. At one point, Esther and I thought the 2 boys were bears, as they crouched behind some bushes!! We never did see any bears but were definitely aware of the fact that we were in bear country, their territory.
We were on a little plateau about 100 yards away and watched this flock for quite awhile. They didn't seem the least bit concerned by us and continued eating and relaxing.
"Heads up, Ladies - someone's coming!"
Esther and I slowly drove down the track and quietly drove closer. It was amazing to be so close, right in among them.
Aren't these three just the curious ones of the flock? I love how they posed for us.
Once the second quad came down the trail, the group decided it was time to ramble away a little further. It was cool to see how agile they were on the steep slopes of loose rock.
Heading off, looking for greener pastures - and less people probably!
Amazing how close you were able to get to them!
ReplyDeleteIt's also amazing that some wildlife apparently like the mined areas! They must like the new grass and shrubs.. It looks like GCC did a decent job of reclaiming it and restoring the vegetation in that pit. Thanks for helping to give me hope that open pit mines can be successfully reclaimed! Nice pictures.
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