A monthly journal of wildlife reports, scenic opportunities, and tidbits for both photographers and Teton visitors!
Recent Daily Updates Archives:
2015: Apr: | Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2014: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug: | July: | June: | May: | Apr: | Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2013: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug:
April Overview:
April is a month of transitions—and this April is off to a record start! Most people I speak with suggest the valley is at least a couple of weeks ahead of normal. Normal is a relative term, of course. Going into the month, much of the snow on the valley floor has melted. Animals are already on the move! Click here to view April of 2014, then click on March 2015 and you should get a good idea for the beginning week or two of April 2015. Here are a few quick notes:
- The Inner Park Loop Road is closed to vehicle traffic until May 1st. You can walk, hike, bike, or roller blade the road during April.
- Access to some of the normal “hot spots” will be limited. Schwabacher Landing will not be open until May 1 along with a section of the Moose-Wilson Road.
- The valley is waking up early this year. Grizzlies should be visible beginning in early April. Carry bear spray!
- Elk, Bison, Bighorns, and Wolves are migrating north out of the National Elk Refuge. Moose are visible in many areas right now. This is a great time to see wildlife.
- Most of the large game animals will be shedding their winter coats and may look “shaggy” for a while. Bucks and bulls will likely have lost their antlers.
- Some birds like Trumpeter Swans will be migrating out of the valley, while others like Osprey will be moving in.
- April is a good month to photograph the Teton Range with it’s full blanket of snow.
- Watch for an eclipse in the on the first weekend. To start the month, sunrise will be a little after 7:00 am and sunset will be between 7:50 and 8:00 pm.
Important Winter/Spring Links
- Best of the Tetons : Start Here!: This page will give you a good overview of the earlier Feature Posts
- Helpful Links and Resources: Weather Reports, Web Cams and Ski Reports have links in the right navigation bar, but this page has many additional links.
- Winter Closures: Many areas are closed during the Winter months. Click the link, scroll to the Winter section and look for the Winter closure maps.
Hybrid Photography & Fly Fishing Trips in GTNP: I’ve been offering One-on-One Photography Excursions for a while. For those trips, we get up early and I drive the client(s) around the valley looking for good light, great landscape opportunities and wildlife. I do all I can to help them with their photography. These new hybrid trips cost a little more, but it adds a special new twist. We get to do photography and fly fishing. More importantly, we get to float down the Snake River to access areas of the park most people never see. I am teaming up with Snake River Anglers for these trips. They are licensed fishing guides in GTNP and know the river very well. Here’s the link for regular One-on-One Photography Excursions.
Oldie But Goodie Post of the Day
Pretty In Peach: The Historic Stucco House on Mormon Row: Antelope Flats Road opened early this year, giving us vehicle access to the Mormon Row homesteads. This house was built John and Bartha Moulton. The barns and some of the outbuildings got a bit of a facelift last summer. The road south is currently barricaded, but you can easily make the short walk to the T.A. Moulton Barn and additional homesteads.
Most Recent Feature Post: While Most People Were Sleeping:
This post contains a variety of night shots taken over the past six or seven years. They all have a little artificial light added. It’s not really a dedicated “Light Painting Tutorial”, but more of a page of ideas to get your juices going if you like being out at the same time stars are passing overhead.
April 2, 2015:
Last night, I stayed up until midnight working on this new Feature Post: While Most People Were Sleeping: I was tired this morning and opted to stay home. If things go well, I hope to make a drive up to Oxbow Bend this afternoon to look for Grizzly, Fox, and Otter activity. It has been a while since I was there and I am sure the snow levels will have dropped in the region. In the southern part of the park, I am sure more of the big game animals are working their way north and towards their summer zones. Check back later for any updates!
April 1, 2015:
Hairy Woodpecker:
Photos and reports coming. For now, check out the daily updates of April of 2014 and March 2015.
April 1st is “Gaper Day” at the JH Mountain Resort. They’ll have gusty winds and highs around 42°F. The high mountains should get a new layer of snow from this front.
Blood Moon this weekend (via the Weather Channel). Another lunar eclipse is on tap for this weekend. The next one will not happen for 16-17 years. NASA’s chart for April 4.
Poonan Parihar Photography: I followed a back link to this blog to Poonan’s site. Her photos are “world’s apart” from what I do here, due primarily to her unique subject matter. I believe you will enjoy them as much as I did. She has a wonderful “touch” and an inspired artist’s eye. MJ
Miss Rocky: Not long after I took this shot, I loaded up and did a “South Park” loop. I checked the Swan Pond at Boyle’s Hill. The ice has melted completely and swans are now swimming very close to the fence. The biologists added a couple of new feeders close to the parking area. A few of the Trumpeter’s were wild, while 18 or so are captive (damaged wings, etc). I counted a couple of dozen Trumpeters and quite a few Mallard Ducks. After leaving the Swan pond, I continued the loop on South and then back to the highway looking mainly for foxes, plus show shoe hares, ermine, and so forth. Here’s a link with more info about the Trumpeter Swans of Boyle’s Hill.
