It was a surprisingly nice day for spring in the Rockies. Previously it snowed, and the weather forecast looked bleak. However, we lucked out in many ways…
As we headed around Lake Minnewanka, we rounded a bend and La Niña exclaimed from the back seat, look at all the white bears! Actually not bears… we encountered a herd of bighorn sheep that had stopped for a healthy roadside snack. All were females and rather shaggy looking after a long and bitterly cold winter.
They happily munched on the grass as we drove by, seemingly unperturbed by our vehicle.
Later in the day we encountered a herd of Wapiti Elk near Mount Norquay Road.
In the photos below are two elk hinds, whom, unlike their flat bellied sisters, looked rather round in the belly — could they be pregnant? One is wearing a collar, which means it is being tracked as part of a wildlife study on elk migration patterns.
