Photo taken in Okanagan Falls, BC — November 7, 2020
His horns showed his years of experience. Broken, battered and scarred, this male California Bighorn Sheep was clearly the boss of his herd. Entering rutting season, he was brooking no funny business. Whenever another male approached a female he ran over — sometimes at a near sprint — and broke up the incipient romance. Not that he had a mind for pitching woo himself. No, he’d give the now-solo females a passing sniff, then wander off to eat grass until another male made a move. Then BAM — back in action.
* Why I didn’t post it: When I took this shot there were a lot of bighorn sheep photos being posted. I wasn’t sure this one (and the others I took) could compete and I didn’t want to infringe on others’ subject matter. (“You think that’s a bighorn sheep? Check this out!”) Ultimately that’s not a good approach — we should post work we’re proud of without worrying how it will be received. But do we? Really?
* I took a lot of photos in 2020, more than in any previous year. Some I shared, but looking back I’ve found many I didn’t. Maybe I thought they weren’t good enough, maybe I had something else to post or maybe…I just plain forgot. As the year winds down I’m rectifying those oversights and posting some photos I overlooked earlier in 2020.