In the neighborhood

Spring has definitely arrived in our western Wyoming neighborhood - all the snow is gone and we are hoping like heck for a wet spring. Our sheep are fat in pregnancy and tired of their wool - a month ahead of our regular shearing time. Our sandhill cranes have returned, as have the trumpeter swans and western bluebirds. I even saw a shrike last week.

Busy with spring chores, it's been great to be outside in the sunshine, and to have a few wildlife encounters. Jim and I crossed paths with our resident mule deer herd that contains a few white-tailed deer hybrids. I've photographed various hybrids in this herd since about 2009. This hybrid doe is a beauty, isn't she?

Here's a side-by-side of the hybrid doe next to a muley doe.

We also encountered a nesting pair of Great Horned Owls.  Be sure to click on these images to enlarge. The patterns in their feathers are magnificent.