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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2609
4/24/2013
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Took a quick day trip out to Inner Pasture. Mostly hiked the ABDSP boundary lines out there, 9 hours and about 14 miles in low to mid 90 temps. Gorgeous day as always other than the gnats and flies which were kinda bad. I was hoping to see some snakes but all I got was more bighorn sheep...
My new Canon Powershot S100 did OK but I don't think it liked the heat much, it was acting kinda goofy as it got hotter out.
Bighorn Sheep are really are hard to spot up in the hills with the boulders, can you se them in this photo?
Here are a few more random shots
I remembered my new S100 had a video mode so here is some video footage
Wish I could run that fast up in the rocks
Looks like the ewe is kicking down some cactus to eat
Some red ocotillo covering the valley floor
Nice bony scat with a small rodent skull
Total mylar balloons this trip - 7
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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hikerdmb Posts: 423
4/24/2013
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Awesome video Daren. Are you using a tripod? How old do you think the lambs are? I like the zoom on your camera. That is pretty amazing for a point and shoot.
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1362
4/24/2013
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Wow that is amazing.
Pictures are great. Have you seen Bighorns in Inner Pasture before?
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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ziphius Posts: 911
4/24/2013
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Nice photos Daren. Great video too. It took me about a full minute before I saw the sheep in the first photo and then, I could only see two ewes. The mile 41 canyon always seems to have dislodged barrel cactus at the bottom that have broken open and been eaten. I bet they head-butt them from the slopes above and then let gravity do the work of cracking them open for an easy meal and some moisture. IP seems to be a sink for mylar. - Jim
edited by ziphius on 4/24/2013
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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tommy750 Posts: 1040
4/24/2013
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Awesome pics and videos, Daren. My sightings of BHS are usually seconds in length and your videos are minutes! Do you know why the ewe was digging at the ground in the video? Some sort of foraging behavior for? Thanks. Tom
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ziphius Posts: 911
4/24/2013
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Your first video shows extremely rapid flight (fleeing) behavior. Did you notice the sheep before they noticed you, giving you the chance to start the video rolling by the time they took off?
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2609
4/24/2013
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Wow...seems the BHS have generated more interest than I thought...
So yeah, when I started out from the S2 I started seeing lots of tracks and fresh scat and lots of busted barrel cactus so I knew they were around. About a mile or so in I turned a corner and there were 2 ewes and 2 lambs in the wash. They scurried up the hill a bit and I took some photos of them as they watched me. After a few minutes it was clear they wanted to continue up the wash so that is what you see in that first video, they ran down the hill and off into the wash ahead. I kinda played leap frog with them for awhile, I would spot them again and they would run up ahead again. It was quiet enough in the canyon that I could hear them up in the rocks, finding them though is another story, they blend in so well with the landscape.
The whole Inner Pasture area had fresh tracks, scat and bedding down spots so they were roaming the valley area. On the way back out I started seeing them again, I didn't take any more photos, just the videos. No tripod, just my sweaty two hands trying to see thru the viewfinder in the bright sunlight while the 5 billion gnats and flies flew in and out of my nose and ears....ughhh...
They were quite calm as long they were up in the hillside, they did not mind me watching..in fact I am the one who left them, I needed to get moving as daylight was slowly fading away. I saw several more BHS on the way back, 3 ewes, 4 lambs and one older ram. I half suspect they are the same herd I saw in Squaw Cyn back in Dec but I could be wrong. The lambs were probably 4 weeks or so...cute little guys.
The long video shows the ewe digging at a cactus in several locations, she moved around the hillside digging at several others while her lamb watched and waited, in fact you can see the lamb rough up a spot to lay down and wait. I probably could have recorded more but I got tired of holding the camera while all the bugs flew in and out my ears and nose.
Glad everyone enjoyed the photos and videos. I do need to give credit to the S100 for the zoom on the video, that worked pretty well. I am still disappointed with some of the close up shots and bright sunlight photos but I am still trying to "learn" the camera, I almost took my DSLR instead but wanted to go light and fast. It is a great camera but it is not a DSLR.
edited by dsefcik on 7/21/2013
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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ziphius Posts: 911
4/25/2013
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Daren, thanks for the added BHS details. I also saw tracks on the IP valley floor back in Dec/Jan, not far from the 'machine bolt cave'. I was assuming they were BHS sheep and not deer at that time. PS - Saw my first deer in AB near Culp Valley a few days ago...
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anutami Posts: 491
4/27/2013
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Nice trip. Was that a solo trip? Your kids didn't join you for any trips this year? Is that something I can look forward to?... you bring your kids along on your adventures throughout their youth and they end up pursuing their own adventures?
I wonder with the improving economy and the feds push for amnesty if we will see more illegal /undocumented movement through ABDSP. It will be interesting as it seems to have been relatively quite out there with the dismal economy but as things pick up we are the eyes and ears of the southern border.
Also....your zoom is amazing, on my point and shoot if I zoom in the quality is so poor it is not worth using the function
edited by anutami on 4/27/2013
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2609
4/28/2013
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Nolan (anutami) wrote:
Nice trip. Was that a solo trip? Your kids didn't join you for any trips this year? Is that something I can look forward to?... you bring your kids along on your adventures throughout their youth and they end up pursuing their own adventures? Solo...sorta spur of the moment thing. My kids are mostly grown up, my oldest goes out with me sometimes.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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