All Images And Text On This Site Are Copyright 1999-2000
by
Thomas D. Hill Jr.
996503 Big Horn Sheep in fall
National Parks are well known for their cooperative wildlife. Jasper NP is no exception. Several locations are famous for their easily accessible large mammals such as Big Horn Sheep, Wapiti Elk, Mountain Goats, and Woodland Caribou. Rarely can you travel through the park and not have your trip delayed by a small traffic jam created by wildlife enthusiasts viewing one type of animal or another. The wildlife is so abundant at Jasper NP, that you can go from one traffic jam to another merely a couple of miles down the road. One fall day, I saw a Moose, Beaver, Bald Eagle, Coyote, Bull Elk, and Big Horn Sheep in a two hour period approaching dusk. It was incredible.
Big Horn Sheep seem to spend most of their time grazing or looking for new locations to graze. Even when inundated with tourists stopping their motor-coaches and campers to gawk at them, the sheep seem to pay little attention. Mostly, they go about their business. The herd I followed to take this image was one of the largest--30 individuals--I'd ever seen at Jasper. They were making their way through the fall foliage with abandon and with typical disregard to anything else going on. As they moved along the roadside, I pre-positioned my car to allow them to approach me. I guess I could've followed from behind--no pun intended--but I didn't particularly want rear-end shots. As they made it to my vehicle, they flowed around it like I was a rock in their river. Their approach was so close that my 300mm telephoto became unusable for anything other than head shots. I was reduced to using my 180mm F2.8 AF-N to take this image. Very seldom have I been approached so close.
The 180 F2.8 AF-N is an outstanding lens. Contrast is exceptional and I have no complaints about its sharpness. However, it's not the most versatile lens in my arsenal. Unfortunately, with the advent of my 80-200 F2.8 AF-S, its been spending most of its life back at home. Unless I need to be very conscience about weight, I almost don't have a need for the lens. Still, I remember images such as this and a few others that are special because of the lens' incredible qualities. I believe this image is a good medium to showcase them.
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