Better Late Than Never

tanjabrittonwriter 61 Comments

At times we are granted unexpected sightings, at others, the subject of our desire remains out of reach, no matter how hard we try. Yet every so often, when we have resigned ourselves to the fact that some yearnings will remain ungratified, like an offering from the Fates, we are provided with an unforeseen gift.

Such was the case on this summer day, when I decided to prolong my visit at Glen Eyrie, where my weekly group of birding enthusiasts had done a survey of the local avifauna. This former estate of Colorado Springs founder, General William Jackson Palmer, is now in the possession of the Navigators, who run it as a religious retreat center, but also offer admittance to the public via a reservation system. After my birding friends’ departure, I hiked some of the rocky trails between the geologic formations that are the direct continuation of neighboring Garden of the Gods to the south.

Zu manchen Zeiten werden uns unerwartete Sichtungen zuteil, zu anderen wiederum wird uns das Objekt unserer Sehnsucht verwehrt, egal wie sehr wir danach streben. Gelegentlich, nachdem wir uns bereits damit abgefunden haben, daß unsere Wünsche unerfüllt bleiben, beschenkt uns das Schicksal mit unvorhergesehenen Gaben.

Das war an diesem Sommertag der Fall, als ich mich entschied, meinen Besuch bei Glen Eyrie zu verlängern, wo mein Vogelclub eine Bestandsaufnahme der Vogelwelt gemacht hatte. Dieses ehemalige Anwesen von General William Jackson Palmer, dem Stadtgründer von Colorado Springs, ist jetzt im Besitz der Navigatoren, die es als religiösen Erholungsort betreiben, es aber auch der Öffentlichkeit mittels Reservierung zugänglich machen. Nachdem meine Vogelfreunde Abschied genommen hatten, erforschte ich einige der Wanderpfade inmitten der geologischen Formationen, die die direkte Fortsetzung des benachbarten Garden of the Gods darstellen.

To enlarge a photo, click on it. To read its caption, hover cursor over it.

Zum Vergrößern, das Bild bitte anklicken. Um den Titel zu lesen, mit der Maus darüber schweben.

View from Glen Eyrie south to Cheyenne Mountain in the mist/Blick gen Süden von Glen Eyrie
Glen Eyrie Castle/Glen Eyrie Schloß

The early morning’s sunny sky had been obscured by clouds, resulting in a mystical atmosphere. Maybe this was the prerequisite for viewing what, in my mind, had become a mythical animal, as it had remained unfindable by me, despite being observed and photographed by seemingly every other person, resident and visitor alike. When my roving gaze discerned an unusual shape between the angular cliffs, I did a double take, and my heart a double beat.

Der sonnige Morgenhimmel war von einer Wolkendecke verschleiert worden, was in einer mystischen Stimmung resultierte. Vielleicht war das die Voraussetzung dafür, dasjenige Tier zu Gesicht zu bekommen, das für mich zum Fabelwesen geworden war, da es unauffindbar war, obwohl es scheinbar jede Person außer mir bereits gesehen und photographiert hatte, egal ob Anwohner oder Besucher. Als mein umherschweifender Blick eine ungewöhnliche Kontur zwischen den kantigen Klippen wahrnahm, mußte ich zweimal hingucken, und mein Herz klopfte etwas schneller.

The elusive Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep finally (con)descended to give me an audience. This ovine of high altitudes is an anomaly along the Front Range, with a decades-old local history.  In 1946, when the trailer that was in the process of relocating a dozen animals from Colorado’s Tarryall Mountains to Pikes Peak broke down, they were released, and established a successful Bighorn Society in Queen’s Canyon, just west of Glen Eyrie, instead of making their way up to our local fourteener.

During each previous visit to Garden of the Gods, I had scanned the rocky crags to no avail. On this day, they weren’t even on my mind, which proved my introductory point above. Needless to say, I was over the moon to have made the acquaintance of one of the descendants of the original flock. Better late than never!

Das schlüpfrige Rocky-Mountains-Dickhornschaf ließ sich endlich dazu herab (im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes), mir eine Audienz zu gewähren. Diese Schafsart der hohen Gefilde ist im Vorgebirge der Rocky Mountains eine Ausnahme, mit einer jahrzehntelangen hiesigen Geschichte. Als der Anhänger, der 1946 ein Dutzend Tiere von den Tarryall Bergen in Richtung Pikes Peak transportierte eine Panne hatte, wurden sie in der Nähe freigelassen, und siedelten sich erfolgreich in Queen’s Canyon westlich von Glen Eyrie an, anstatt auf unserem hiesigen 4000 Meter hohen Berg.

Bei jedem Besuch von Garden of the Gods hatte ich die Felswände abgesucht, jedoch ohne Erfolg. An diesem Tag hatte ich sie nicht mal im Sinn, was mein obiges Argument bestätigte. Es versteht sich von selbst, daß ich überglücklich war, die Bekanntschaft mit einem der Nachfahren der ursprünglichen Herde gemacht zu haben. Besser spät als nie!

61 thoughts on “Better Late Than Never”

  1. Well done for finally tracking one down 👍. Impressive critters, aren’t they? Now for a QUESTION from a puzzled Brit … what’s a “fourteener?” I’m guessing (from my almost non-existent German) it’s a peak over 4,000 metres / 14,000 feet high. Am I right?

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    • Aptly said, Nick: Strange and beautiful!
      I have visions of Max in the movie “The Grinch,” tipping over because of the antler on his head. Somehow it seems physically impossible for this animal to not only to remain upright, but to leap and bound across steep slopes with its heavy head held high!

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  4. For a long time, I would say to Alie “you have seen a Bighorn Sheep,” and she would reply “a Q-tip on the side of a mountain doesn’t count.” Then one day in British Columbia, there was a flock grazing close to the road! It really is a thrill to see one long-sought animal.

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    • I am glad Alie finally got a closer look at one of these impressive creatures. I had seen them while driving along I-70, or when hiking in the mountains, but never here in Colorado Springs, and never from this close. It’s a sight to remember!

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    • Thank you, Neil. The only predator that might be able to take down one of these is a bear, I think, but they don’t usually live in the same habitat, and they would have to contend with those horns! If I were a bear, I would think twice about the resultant headache.

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  9. Wow!! I had no idea they could be seen there, Tanja. ‘Over the moon’ indeed. 😀

    Scott and I hiked GoG a couple of times in the fog and mist (even once in the low 20’s) and I enjoy the ambiance this place radiates when the masses are gone and the lines and colors are softened. Heavenly.

    Congrats on your sighting. Glad to see you are still getting out and exploring. I’m nearly out of the weeds … perhaps fully in time for winter birding along the coast.

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    • I agree with, Shannon, the atmosphere at GOG in fog and mist is extra special.
      Maybe you will have an encounter of the
      ovine kind the next time you are there. They tend to be on the crags north of the main parking lot where you usually park, so it’s a distinct possibility.
      Can you believe September is half over?! I hope you enjoyed your various “dirtnkids” projects this summer.
      Many greetings to all,
      Tanja

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  13. I visited the Garden of the Gods with my parents as a child, but have almost no memory of that vacation, except for playing in the snow atop the Continental Divide. You have a marvelous memory now: one well worth the safe-keeping. Better late than never, indeed.

    I’m especially taken with the contrast between the delicacy of its legs and hoofs, and those magnificent, heavy-looking horns. Do they battle one another with them, as the deer do with their antlers? If so, I suspect there are more than a few rams with raging headaches every rutting season.

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    • I hope you will refresh your memory one of these days by revisiting Garden of the Gods, and you might get to see one of these sheep.

      They do indeed use their horns against one another, and what I have seen in nature films looks and sounds incredibly violent. I get a headache merely from watching!

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  15. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Erfüllung deines Wunsches liebe Tanja 🙂 Schön, daß du dieses Tier endlich selber sichten konntest. Es sieht wunderschön aus mit seinen geschwungenen Hörnern. Es ist schon lustig, wie sich manche Wünsche erfüllen, wenn man sie gar nicht mehr auf dem Schirm hat und wie schön, daß die Sichtung dieses besonderen Schafes dir soviel Freude gemacht hat! Auf meiner Wunschliste stehen noch Kolkrabe, Käuzchen, Schwalbenschwanz und diverse andere Tiere. Das Taubenschwänzchen hat sich ja letzten Sommer am Balkon gezeigt, aber leider nur für ca. 5 Sekunden. Länger wäre wünschenswert, sehr 😉 Weiterhin schöne Beobachtungen wünsche ich dir!

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    • Herzlichen Dank, liebe Almuth. Diese Begegnung erinnerte mich mal wieder daran, daß es gut ist, immer mit offenen Augen, aber nicht mit einer engen Geisteshaltung loszuziehen.

      Ich habe mir schon so oft die schöne Zeit vermiest, weil ich mich auf einen bestimmten Vogel versteift hatte, daß ich den sprichwörtlichen Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht sehen konnte.
      Hoffentlich bekommst Du Deine Wunschtiere mal zu Gesicht.

      Liebe Grüße,
      Tanja

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      • Oh ja, das glaube ich gerne, daß die Enttäuschung umso größer ist, wenn man etwas bestimmtes sehen will. Das habe ich zum Glück seltener. Ich lasse mich gerne überraschen, freue mich, wenn ich überhaupt Vögel sehe 🙂 LG, Almuth

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  19. Great sighting, Tanja! One never knows how we will be rewarded for our persistence but this was a real treat of nature for you. I had a similar experience a few weeks back when a moose decided to munch some twigs nearby where i was photographing a landscape.

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  22. With all of our urban city lifestyles today, photos of beautiful remote mountains and landscapes should be on billboards, bus stops coffeehouses and may other daily passages, to remind us to take some time out for sightseeing’and other journeys with nature! 🦜

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