I am fortunate to live among the Bighorn Sheep of Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The population of sheep has been growing steadily and appear to be healthy. It is interesting when hiking Borrego Palm Canyon, you will come across bands of young males hoping to become the next breeding dominate ram. These young males hang around each other a safe distance from the main herd and practice butting heads and improving their skills. It is the dominant female that shows the young where to graze and search for water. The herd that hangs out at De Anza Country Club have quite a few lambs and at least two collared females. The ram has a broken right horn and snakes his head and stretches his neck in and out while nipping at the flanks of his family to drive them forward. When frightened, they can dash up the mountain and are almost soundless as they scramble up the steep cliffs. They are amazingly agile animals and disappear into the background once they stand still.
