Waterton Canyon: November 2014, Part I

With warmer weather and sunnier skies today, I decided to head down to Waterton Canyon to see what the bighorn sheep were up to. I got a nice reminder that the canyon has more wildlife to enjoy than just the sheep. :)

I try to never overlook the beauty in the everyday.  Squirrels may not be rare, but this little guy hanging out on a warming rock was still adorable.

I saw wild turkeys in the canyon for the first time -- more than I'd ever seen in any one place.

This shot reminded me of someone looking in a mirror.  Though why these birds would want to do that I have no idea.

Remember what I said about finding beauty in the everyday?  In the case of these birds, I may have to stick with "striking" rather than "beautiful."

There must have been at least 20 of them scattered along the road.  I was surprised to find that they sound like guinea pigs, mostly making little squeaking noises.  I loved how this subgroup had formed such an orderly line up the hillside.

Just a few paces past the turkeys I had some mule deer does cross the road in front of me.  I noticed they were headed over to join a buck who was feeding very casually near a picnic pavilion.

I told him a joke.  He seemed to enjoy it.

This guy was not concerned with me in the least.  I had my 80-400 zoom all the way back at just 80mm for this classic pose.

Seeing the male didn't seem to care about me made the females more comfortable.  This sweet little girl munched away contentedly.

I saw a scrub jay head into a patch of berries, but couldn't get a clear shot of him.  This bird which I don't recognize gave me a little more to work with.  I'll be asking the good folks on the Front Range Wildlife Photographers Facebook group for help with an ID.

EDIT: Carey Manous and several others confirm it as a Spotted Towhee.

All this in just the first mile, and I hadn't even gotten to any bighorn sheep yet.  Click here for those!