We hadn't been to Parc Omega since mid-December and thought it was time to drop in again.
The last visit had been the day after a wind storm and most of the animals were sheltering back in the woods. But this time the elk and deer were out in great abundance, including the usual welcoming committee at the front gate.
There was some light sparing between male elk and between male red deer and the occasional elk and red deer mixing it up. Nothing serious, just boys being boys.
Those not so interested in a carrot or two were quite content to sit about relaxing in the snow. If we stopped to take a picture, some might get up and wander over to see if a carrot was on offer, others just hung out on the snow.
The red deer in the upper middle picture had a frozen tear drop in its eye.
Two red deer females seemed to having a quiet moment with each other on the rocks above.
The fallow deer were out in force at one point on the road. It was near a spot where hay is provided, but by blocking the road they were hoping for a carrots.
While not readily noticeable in the picture above, the hay bales are used for more than food....
Fallow deer certainly have nice eyelashes
In other areas, the fallow deer weren't quite so organized and watched as cars passed.
The wild turkeys seemed to have come together in one area to rest (and enjoy the seeds at a nearby trough). There were about 28 in one spot and another large group assembled at a second nearby spot as we were leaving.
I have never managed to get a decent picture of a junco. They normally feed on the ground and fly off as you approach. But one was preoccupied enough that I managed to get an acceptable shot.
The various canine groupings were having a "hard day at the office" sleeping in the snow.
The black wolves were mostly in one group, I liked the way one had its head resting on another.
The timber wolves seemed to be down for the count, although it looked like one had fallen asleep in mid-stretch.
The arctic wolves were also relaxing, soaking in the sun. But when someone got out their car by the fence, they headed down to see if there was going to be any food.
(You are not supposed to get out of your car in that area, but there always is someone who ignores the guidelines. The signs on the fence say "do not feed".)
This last wolf didn't seem to be the right colouration for an arctic wolf, more a timber wolf. I checked with the Parc and they replied: "The one with the greyish back is a two year old male and has always been this colour, not an abnormal shade for an arctic wolf even in the wild. We used to have 3 with this colouration."