Estes Park in June

On our recent visit to Estes Park, we found plenty of wildlife. Actually, almost all of it was in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). Starting at Nymph Lake, we found a Mallard Drake. Quite the good looking fellow. I don't know where his lady friend is. I am sure he has one.


Along the trail going up to Dream Lake from Nymph Lake, we were approached by a chipmunk. Actually several chipmunks thought about accosting us for nuts, trailbars, or other goodies. Looks like any number of people ignore the "Don't feed the animals" signs.



The bystanders in the viewing parking lot were claiming this is a lamb. It is definitely a bighorn sheep. The unusual white coat is caused by sun bleaching. At the high altitudes in RMNP, the sheep bleach out to white over the winter and return to their normal brown after shedding. Based on this, it might be a ewe that was born last year.

And here is a member of the Boy's Club. He is a fine looking fellow and posed nicely for the camera. Unfortunately, some other bulls in the park have bigger racks. Given his build, he might snag a few cows this fall.

Right now, the bull elk are hanging out in small groups. The cows tend to be in their own groups. Occasionally, a bull was with the cows.