Day 3 photos and notes:
It was cold here today and it rained last evening.  These conditions made it icy and impossible to go out onto the  mountain looking for cougars.  There would be few tracks to see, and it washes away any scent from the prints that the dogs could follow. Do you remember the study of bighorn sheep that I mentioned earlier (Day 1)?  Today was a good day for us to see them and see the type of data that was collected.  We helped to do the observations and record information.  The sheep that we were observing were flown in from Washington (state) for this program.  We watched them through telescopes - they were so far away that you couldn't see them without a telescope or binoculars.  One person watched them for 20 minutes while another recorded for that person.  Each team of people concentrated on one sheep and recorded if it was feeding, moving, surveying (looking around), or other behaviors.  We also recorded the area where it was - whether it was in the sage, or a rocky area, etc.  Any time a behavior or location of the sheep changed, the time and behavior was recorded.  Today we recorded lots of data!  Write in your journals how you think information about animal behavior might be important to understanding predator and prey relationships. Include any  ideas you might have about WHERE animals feed and how that might be related to areas that are safe or dangerous for them.
Where we are is considered a cold desert.  The plants and grasses look like a hot desert, so it is funny to see cactus and sagebrush peeking out of the snow.  Quite an adaptation, don't you think?
Collecting sheep data didn't take all day, so we took advantage of the opportunity to see some of the area around the house.  Here are some photos to give you a better idea.
 
 

	These are some of the cactus in the field behind the house.  There are plenty of small animals living in the field, as you could imagine, and some eat the cactus.
	Jackrabbits sometimes eat this cactus - in spite of the spines - and you can see that it's actually green inside where something has nibbled on it.  How do you think cactus can survive such a cold place?
	This is the field in back of the house.  You can see the house we're staying in in the back behind the trees. There are lots of low growing plants here - especially sagebrush.  Why do desert plants grow so low to the ground? The larger trees around the house are unusual - maybe they were originally planted there for shade in the summer?
	Another view from the field.  You can see the horses in the background and the mountains in the distance.
	This is the barn beside the house. You might be able to see some of the mountains in the background. Growing on the side of the barn is sage and some yucca, which is a plant that grows in the desert also. They look almost like tiny palm trees without the trunk.
	This is Freida. She is a pet, not a hunting dog.  She joined us for our hike in the field today. When we go out for mountain lions, Freida stays home.
	When we were out by the horses we noticed some feathers on the ground, then looked up to find this hole in a haystack.  When we looked more closely we found owl pellets and realized it was an owls nest! There are lots of small animals in the fields for owls to eat - but we haven't seen the owl yet.