It’s such a joy to witness life spring from the earth every year here in the Rockies. It’s a very gradual thing and we’ve been seeing signs of it for the past six weeks, but then it’s like a switch is flipped. Granted, it has been switched a tad bit early this year due to unseasonably warm weather, but all of a sudden life is springing forth from every direction you look. Grass begins to green, pasque flowers begin to bloom, bulbs begin to emerge from the ground, and the birds and wildlife live with a freshness in their step! It’s a great time to explore the trails in the area as well. The big thaw is underway and the trails open up and lead to new and refreshed surprises at just about every turn. It’s like running into an old friend.
I spent the past week getting small clips of some happenings around the lodge as we move toward summer. It was so fun to just be still and spend time watching the critters around the property. I’d set up the camera and just wait for something to happen in front of it… sometimes I’d wait a minute or so, and sometimes it would be a bit longer before anyone would venture into the scene. It may be a good plan for your next trip here. Just stop, sit, watch, enjoy, and refresh your our heart with all this special corner of the Rockies has to give you. It’s a great reminder that we too need renewal more often than we think!
Enjoy!
Michael
As spring brings the mountains back to life, all of the animals start becoming very active and many of the birds start becoming more visible. In addition, the migrations are underway, so we get quite a few visitors that stop by on their way to preferred climates.
We also have our chippies and ground squirrels back in action! It’s so fun to see them zipping around the property!
The weather is great with a slight change for some snow over the weekend… old man winter doesn’t give up without a fight!
Enjoy!
Michael
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- Female Cassin’s Finch
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- Least Chipmunk
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- Wyoming Ground Squirrel
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- Male Cassin’s Finch
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- Male Dark Eyed Junco
We awoke this morning to several inches of unexpected snow on the ground! But after the winds that Colorado has been experiencing over the past few days we are more excited about the calm that the snow brought with it! You may have seen some of the wind related issues on the news… cars being rolled over as they’re driving, bumpers being torn off of buses during the evening commute, etc… We didn’t get it quite as bad as Boulder/Denver got it, but it was still pretty brutal up here. So, we are thrilled that the wind has stopped and we were greeted with a nice calm mountain morning!
This is a special time in the high country. When we start hearing of spring winning the battle in other places, along with pics of flowers blooming, grass greening, etc, we are just starting our snowiest season! We have a couple months before we start to see any signs of spring. Our days (and nights) will start to warm gradually over these next weeks, but that breeds the heavy, wet, and deep snows that characterize spring time in the Rockies. So these unexpected are to be expected every once in a while.
Now on to Lefty. I’m sure that by now you are familiar with one of our most beloved resident elk, Lefty. He is a large (6×6 or 7×7 depending on the year) bull that has made McGregor his winter home for about 6 years now. We see him nearly every day. About a month ago we had a little scare with him. One day he showed up with a massive wound on the right side of his jaw. We called the appropriate authorities and they checked him out and thought it would take care of itself. Lefty was still able to feed and drink, so they were hoping it would heal on its own. He is now doing much better and it looks like they tagged him and fixed the wound up a little bit, taking off some of the excess skin/fur and cleaning the wound a little. He seems to be feeling a lot better and is back to his old gentle and calm personality and is eating normally. We are so glad he is on the mend and hope to have him around for a few more years!
Bighorn fleeing the scene!
Those of you that get the newsletter know that I mentioned that it’s prime bighorn viewing season. Not 5 minutes after that did they show up! However, this small herd was very jumpy. Maybe there is a lion in the neighborhood and they are just on edge, no way to know. But they didn’t stick around for long and I was only able to grab this shot as they were making haste up the mountainside. Regardless, these are animals that are always a joy to see. People come from all over the country (or world in some cases) to get a glimpse of the awesome animals.
So, besides McGregor, as this is one of the best places to see the sheep in the entire state of Colorado, where are a few spots in the area where you have a good chance of spotting the sheep? Here are a few:
- Big Thompson Canyon: We affectionately refer to the sheep seen here as “our” sheep. Back in the 90′s there was a widespread pneumonia epidemic among the two herds that frequent McGregor (the Black Canyon herd and the Mummy herd). Some of the healthy ones we captured and released in the Big Thompson Canyon to widen the gene pool and help ensure the success of the Colorado bighorn herds. They have flourished and and can now often be seen as you drive through the canyon. It is a fantastic place to spot sheep!
- Mt. Ida Trail: Now, you’ll have to work a little for this one, but your chances of seeing sheep out in the wilderness is better than anywhere else I have been. I have probably hiked this trail 10 times and I’d guess that I’ve seen sheep on 8 of those outings. Sometimes they’re far away, sometimes they’re close, but there is a good chance you’ll see them. Most of the guests I have sent there have had luck as well. But this is a steep, alpine hike, and the summit of Ida is about 5 miles from the trail head, so one needs to take precautions and be prepared for the conditions that the alpine tundra presents.
- Sheep Lakes: This one is a bit easier to get to, as the lakes are right next to Hwy 34 in Horseshoe Park just inside Rocky Mountain National Park. The sheep frequent these lakes to lick the mineral rich mud on their shores.
When you do see the sheep, stay calm and quiet as these animals can get stressed pretty easily. Do not approach them, and enjoy from a distance. These are very special animals and we want to keep them as stress free and as healthy as possible!
Michael
Right next to us to the west is a lot that a former owner of McGregor still has. As long as you check with us first, it’s okay to walk around over there… a nice little stroll where one can often see wildlife. I took a walk there this morning and just grabbed a few shots from the outing for your viewing pleasure! Enjoy!
