Monarchs of the Monument
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In the Colorado National Monument, just outside of Grand Junction, Colorado, there is a permanent herd of desert bighorn sheep.
Ovis canadensis
Like the Front Range mountain goats, these desert big horns have become rather accustomed to human visitors to their domain and are generally unthreatened by tourists. While hiking in a more remote section of the Monument one day, we came across a small group that was feeding and followed them for some time, generally remaining about 20 yards away - a distance they seemed to tolerate. This provided a great opportunity for photos. At one point, these two males seemingly posed for us giving us a full view of their horns. Perhaps they thought, "Hey, maybe if we give them one good pic, they'll leave us alone." Their imposing stance demonstrated their dominance in this desert landscape, hence the photo name, "Monarchs of the Monument."
Photo taken October 2009