A monthly journal of wildlife reports, scenic opportunities, and tidbits for both photographers and Teton visitors!
Recent Daily Updates Archives:
Dec: 2014 | Nov: 2014 | Oct: 2014 | Sept: 2014 | Aug: 2014 | July: 2014 | June: 2014 | May: 2014 | Apr: 2014 | Mar: 2014 | Feb: 2014 | Jan: 2014 | Dec: 2013 | Nov: 2013 | Oct: 2013 | Sept: 2013 | Aug: 2013 |
December Overview:
Winter is here to stay! I can almost sum up the month in three concepts: Cold days and nights—short daylight hours—limited access. That’s not all necessarily bad, but it is a far cry from the norms of summer. The cold brings heavy snow and that creates numerous winter activities like snowmobiling, skiing, shoe shoeing, and so forth. Some animals are hibernating, while others are more available to us than ever, such as Bighorn Sheep and possibly Mountain Goats. Some of the winter sunrises can be spectacular and you seldom need a graduated neutral density filter! The sun goes behind the mountains by 4:30 pm, so it’s easy to be back for dinner. The sun is low in the sky, allowing you to take photos almost all day long with limited high contrast issues. Many roads are closed during the Winter months, however other opportunities seem to fill the void. Consider a sleigh ride on at the National Elk Refuge. The Bighorns on Miller Butte are always good in December, including the opportunity to witness their annual rut. Swans move into the valley for the Winter, with good access spots along Flat Creek and Boyle’s Hill. Check out a guided snowmobile trip to Granite Hot Springs and see Granite Falls along the way. Holiday lights wrap about every tree and all four of the Elk Antler Arches downtown. At the end of the month, plan on going to one of the torch light parades to say goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015. Fun photography!
In many ways, the months of December, January, and February are almost carbon copies of each other. Check out each of last year’s Daily Updates to get an idea of the opportunities! Nov: 2013 | Dec: 2013 | Jan: 2014 . Bull moose drop their antlers during the month of December and early January, so prime moose opportunities become more limited in January and February.
Streamlined Viewing 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.
- Winter In the Tetons: Travel and Photography Tips: A “must read” for winter visitors.
Oldie But Goodie Post of the Day
The “Missing” GTNP Farming and Ranching Photos:. This is the perfect image to include with today’s new Feature Post about the Shane movie. The screen grab image here is from the 1953 movie. If I were magically transport myself to 1952 or 1953 and end up in Grand Teton National Park, there is a “chance” I might leave the beauty at the base of the Teton Range, Jackson Lake, or the Snake River basin and drive over to the east side of the park. But, only a chance, knowing most of the east side was just rural farm land with fences, irrigation ditches, cattle grazing, active homesteads and so forth. And, if looking at this old cabin we all now call “The Shane Cabin”, would I even consider walking down and asking if I could take a picture of their house? I doubt it! Luther Taylor probably never considered taking a photo of his log cabin, nor likely had the money to buy a camera or afford the processing. This linked page covers it in more detail, but seeing this image from the movie puts my theory into something we can all visualize sixty years later.
December 17, 2014
New Feature Post!
“SHANE” — The Epic Western Movie Filmed in Jackson Hole: If you love old westerns, Alan Ladd, history, or Jackson Hole, this post is for you! It is packed with 19 screen grabs and a few of my photos of the area.
Back Yard Birding
It was cloudy this morning following a light overnight snow. I opted to save gas and stay home today, especially after looking out the back window and seeing a variety of birds scattered in the trees and on the feeders.
Northern Flicker
Clark’s Nutcracker
Clark’s Nutcracker at the Peanut Feeder:
Flicker and Downey Woodpecker: At the feeders.
White-breasted Nuthatch:
Black-capped Chickadee
Red Squirrel
Settled into Winter:
Most of the winter months offer similar opportunities for both wildlife and landscapes: Nov: 2013 | Dec: 2013 | Jan: 2014 .
Suggested “Opportunities”: Right now, here are my top spots to check out. December 15: So far, I believe these areas are still offering opportunities. Some will be a bit of a gamble, but they might also pay off in a big way if you hit it right:
- Flat Creek Observation Deck: Look for Swans:, Geese, and Ducks.
- Boyles Hill Swan Pond & Swans Along Flat Creek:
- Miller Butte: Look for Bighorns and a herd of around 45 Pronghorns.
- Ditch Creek Road: Look for Moose.
- Kelly Area: Look for Mule Deer at the edges of town and around the Shane Cabins. Also, watch for Pine Grosbeaks in aspens of the winding “S” turns to the Cabin.
- Alpine Junction: Watch for Mountain Goats. near the mouth of the canyon.
- Camp Creek along the Hoback River: Check out Bighorns along the road.
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December 16, 2014
Just the Grand:
Wagons: Snow covered wagons and wheels in Kelly.
Moulton Barn: Bands of light lit small sections of the mountains and clouds this morning. The road south to the other barn has cones to block the road to vehicles.
Barns and Outbuildings: A winter view from the back side.
Tracks: Taken near the Mormon Row barns.
Bull Moose: By the time this young bull cleared the sagebrush, the clouds covered the peak of the Grand. There were around 9 moose near the Gros Ventre Junction this morning.
Red Squirrel: In the back yard this morning.
Northern Flicker: Also in the back yard.
December 15, 2014
Photo taken November 15, 2014
Luther Taylor Homestead in GTNP: AKA “The Shane Cabin”. When I visit this site, I am always amazed the Park Service has neglected to install a historical plaque or kiosk to let visitors know about the area. Luther Taylor built the cabin and outbuildings. During the filming of the Shane movie, Roy Chambers (born in the Chambers Homestead on Mormon Row), owned the cabins and leased them to the production company. The character living in the cabin in the movie was named Ernie Wright. The cabin appeared in the movie for only a very short period. This is NOT the cabin little Joey lived in and seen often in the movie. Their cabin was built specifically for the movie and was torn down afterwards. That site (the Starrett cabin) is west of the Kelly Warm Springs. I am working on a Shane Feature Post. Sign up if you want to hear about it first!
Additional areas of the valley closed today to human entry and activity. These links will give you lots of details and specifics.
Winter Closure Maps in PDF format:
Winter Travel Map Jackson | GTNP Winter Guide | Greater Snow King Area | Larger Snow King Area | Gros Ventre Area | Cache Creek Area | Game Creek Area | Leeks Canyon | Russ Garaman | Post Office Area | Horse Creek Area | Pinedale to La BargeThe Elk Hunt is now over in our area, including inside the National Elk Refuge. Bison are being hunted in the Refuge, keeping many of the elk close to the highway.
From the Back Yard this afternoon:
Mountain Chickadee:
Black-Capped Chickadee:
Red Squirrel: In the back yard.
December 14, 2014
Light snow, fog, light wind this morning with temps around 27°F. I am thinking about going down to Alpine Junction today after checking its Web Cams. Check back!
Morning Report: I drove to Alpine and hung around a couple of hours before heading home. The only Mountain Goats I saw were high on the slope but moving laterally and not down. On the way home, I made the executive decision to head “up the Hoback” and check out the Bighorns. The cliff is about 3.5 miles upstream from the new round-about at Hoback Junction. Bighorns hang out in the area fairly often, including a feed grounds nearby. Just past this outcropping is a bar and restaurant called Camp Creek Inn. Satellite Map via The Photographer’s Ephemeris. (Note: the Red Pin is roughly where I was standing today)
Camp Creek Bighorns: There were 11 bighorns near the road today.
Ram In Grass: The terrain is a bit different there than at Miller Butte.
Distant Rocks: The rocks in the first photo today are very close to the road, but veer away from the highway.
Bighorn Ram: I didn’t seen huge rams at Camp Creek today. I’ve heard reports of a large one, however.
Ram and Ewe: Rams still seem very interested in the Ewes.
December 13, 2014
It’s dark here, with rain in town instead of the promised snow. I am heading north towards Oxbow Bend and hope for snow.
Teton Sunrise: I took this on my way North. I had a few minutes of open clouds, but the fog bank was rolling in.
Grand Peak: I pulled over near Triangle X Ranch for this shot through the clouds.
Cow Moose High Steppin’: This cow and and older calf were near Pacific Creek.
Aspen Stand at Oxbow Bend: Most people would recognize this stand of aspens in the fall. I saw tracks, but no River Otters.
Moose Cows: These two were close to Pilgrim Creek.
Red Fox: Always a treat to find one of these little Vixens.
Morning Comments: It was raining in town, slushy on the way to the airport, and snowy on the way to Oxbow and Colter Bay. Jackson Lake is still open with ice only at the edges and only in some areas.
Big Stretch: Trumpeter Swan on Flat Creek.
National Elk Refuge: I shot plenty of images there, but had problems with conflicting overlaps and merges. There are a lot of elk along the highway right now.
More Winter Closures Coming on Monday: You can always get to this page by clicking the Grand Teton NP & JH Info / Area Links in the menu bar at the top of the page. It has lots of important links, including a long list of area closure maps and PDF documents. On the 15th of December, many more areas of the park will be closed to human travel of any kind. Here’s a paragraph from the GTNP site: “Grand Teton National Park closes key wildlife habitat areas to all travelers during winter. The corridor along the Snake River is closed from December 15 until April 1; and several high peaks are closed from December 1 until April 1. These areas are closed to allow wildlife a place where they will remain undisturbed.” Although there are no places to park, a person could legally shoe shoe down to Schwabacher Landing today and tomorrow, but not Monday and beyond. Elk Hunting on the National Elk Refuge ends tomorrow, however Bison hunting continues for almost another month.
If you are a photographer and want some private instruction, consider a winter trip with me! Mike Jackson’s One-On-One Photography Excursions . The trips allow me to keep supplying this blog!
December 12, 2014
Old Lucas Barn: Taken on Spring Gulch Road.
Hansen Fence Line: Also taken along Spring Gulch Road.
Bull Moose Feeding on Berries: This Bull recently shed its antlers.
Morning Outing: I did a quick loop around Kelly, then back to Spring Gulch Road and a quick zip to Wilson. Clouds were thick in the Park, prompting to head south and west.
Wildlife Sightings for Today: There are lots of Elk on the Refuge. I saw around 60 bison north of Gros Ventre Road near Kelly. I saw a few moose along the Gros Ventre and a dozen in the sage flats west of the Kelly Warm Springs. I saw a few Mule Deer at the edges of Kelly. A few days ago, I saw three White-tailed Deer does there, too. One had a large set of antlers. I saw on Rough-legged Hawk on Spring Gulch Road. I found four moose, including the one above along the Snake River basin near Wilson. Of course, there were Swans and Ducks in Flat Creek.
Exposure on the Web for this blog, my photos and my tours: Check out this blog post at GNARBOX.com
Afternoon at Flat Creek: Trumpeter Swan stretching its wings.
Upside Down Swan: I don’t recall ever seeing a Swan roll over like this. It did the same routine a dozen times or move. Instead of flapping both wings like the previous photo, it would keep one in the water and flap just the other one.
Approaching Swans: This group swam to the far end, then took off as a group.
Cygnets on a Fly By: These are two of the Cygnets in the group of five above.
Evening Feeders: A couple of moose calves and a healthy looking cow moose were grazing around in my neighborhood. I saw them on my way to the bank and post office and found them when I returned.
December 11, 2014
Alpenglow at the Snake River Overlook: I took a chance and headed north. It paid off today…and I was the only one there!
Orange Sunrise: Looking East at SRO.
First Light at SRO: It was 12° there this morning, but only a touch of wind, it was tolerable.
Fence Line: There’s still a good row of buck rail fences south of Triangle X and before you start the climb up to SRO.
Cunningham Cabin: There wasn’t much light while I was at Cunningham Cabin. I walked in today. If I had been in my 4-Wheel Drive truck, I probably could have driven in. There were four bison in the pasture behind the cabin.
December 10, 2014
National Elk Refuge Grasslands: The crews at the National Elk Refuge plant fields grass for the wintering Elk. They added a lot of irrigation equipment over the past few summers.
Sleeping Indian: I drove out to the refuge late in the day. There were a couple of Bighorns on the ridges and a dozen in what I call the amphitheater area.
Elk Refuge Signs: I snapped this shot today for two reasons. First, it shows how the early snows have almost completely melted at the southern end of the valley. Second, when I was getting my touring permit, the rangers told us it was okay to get off the road to photograph as long as you stayed behind the signs like these. There’s a 65′ Teton County easement along the road and these signs are sprinkled along the full length of it. A few days ago, I saw a person 50 yards past the signs getting shots of the bighorns.
We Need Snow! All three of today’s shots are unseasonably devoid of snow on the ground. If the Weather Channel is accurate, Saturday is our best chance for snow at 50%.
December 9, 2014
I just hit the “Publish” button on TWO new Feature Posts. I believe you will enjoy both of them! There’s lots of color and action. The images document a few days and nights here in Jackson Hole in the summer in which both locals and tourists mingle and enjoy themselves as one. Knowing there are county and state fairs all around the country, you might be able to use some of the information in your home state or home town.
Here’s a quick quote from the page, “By the end of my shooting, I realized there is a fair people actually see, and a whole other fair only a photographer with a tripod can see.”
December 8, 2014
New Feature Post! Check out Embracing Fog and Low Clouds. This is a collection of images taken over the past years of opportunities when Mother Nature starts the day out with thick fog. You might pick up some ideas and a few tips for unique images.
Upcoming Feature Posts! I am putting the finishing touches on two posts about the 2014 Teton County Fair. I have been anxious to post them since I captured them, but timing just wasn’t right for me. It has been over four months since I took them, and all I can say is “Wow”! I like this group of images and I believe you will, too. Why two posts? First there are so many I’d like to share here. The first one is mostly an intro containing mostly traditional shots and some with motion blurs. The second post will contain mostly abstract images of the motion and streaking lights. Stay tuned!
December 2, 2009
December 3, 2009
I didn’t go out this morning. I missed whatever did happen because I needed to stay home and do some important paperwork and go to an important meeting. I’m still working on the paperwork and still working on the future two County Fair posts. I went to the meeting at the National Elk Refuge where I got my new permit to take people out to photograph Bighorns and other animals there. Like I said, that was an important meeting!
The two photos above illustrate what I had hoped to capture this year. Of course, I am always wanting to improve on any previous shot. If I had been able to see the moon over the Tetons on Saturday, it would have looked similar to the top one. If I had gone out this morning, I might have seen something very similar to the bottom one. At least from my window, it appeared to be clear to the north with maybe some lacy thin clouds hovering around. In December, the moon is as far north as it will be all year. Relative to the Grand, I start moving north each month until June.
Oh yes…one more thing! Check out the two barn images above. Notice how the Grand looks so much larger in the bottom image than the top image? This page can explain it! Distance and Scale Relationships in the Tetons (and elsewhere)
December 7, 2014
December Full Moon: I was out early hoping to capture the setting full moon this morning. I could see parts of it at times as I drove North, but clouds were just too thick. I captured this one just to document it. Thick clouds in the east and a cloak of clouds over the Grand stifled my hopes for landscape shots this morning.
Passing Swans: Light looked better towards town, so I stopped at the observation platform along flat creek. This group of five swans hovered in during a very short break in the clouds.
Flat Creek Trumpeter Swans:
River Otters: Only a few minutes after the Swan shot above, a family of five River Otters magically appeared from under the bank next to the road.
River Otters on the Far Bank: Today follows in line with this old post: Serendipity Happens!
Quick Area Updates: First, today is the last day of the GTNP Elk Reduction Program (a.k.a. “the Elk Hunt”). Rangers will be removing the orange signs and it will be safe to walk about the park with out worrying about stray bullets. Wildlife should be able to settle down somewhat, too. Second, at least one of the bull Moose has dropped his antlers. Seems early to me. Lastly, it is still unseasonably warm here right now, melting a lot of our early snow and opening rivers and streams that are often choked with ice by now.
December 6, 2014
Barn at Night: Last night, I loaded up and went to the John Moulton barn. I left at Midnight and was home by 2:00 PM. I was hoping to catch the Grand with the full moon overhead. I only got one or two images before the clouds thickened and rolled over the peaks. This was lit with a 2 million candle power light. I was standing on the road with my flashlight and triggered the camera using an RFN-4. It was roughly 40-45 yards back in the sagebrush. I used my D800 at ISO400. It was exposed for 30 seconds at F/10.
I went ahead and exposed one image without the light to illustrate the difference. Some people don’t like to do Light Painting during a full moon. That’s understandable knowing the full moon washes out a lot of the stars and the Milky Way—but it does a pretty nice job of lighting the mountains and snow fields in the Winter.
1st Test Shot: I set the ISO to 400. Then, shooting Manual exposure mode, I guessed on the other two for this test shot. The Aperture was set to F/4.5 for 20 seconds. I knew I’d need a lot of time to light the barn so I increased the exposure time to 30 seconds and started adjusting the Aperture. At f/10, it started feeling like a night scene, where the first one looks like an early morning, low light shot. The full moon was supplying plenty of light until the clouds rolled in.
QBeams: Here are my two QBeam 2 Million Candle Power flashlights. I bought the white Blue Max Marine light from Wal-Mart online and the MaxMillionII from a random site on the Internet. The front of both look like the one on the right.
MaxMillion II: I added semi-permanent 20° grids to the front of my two QBeams. Sometimes, 2 Million Candle Power is too much, so I cut a supply of ND gels I can stack under the grids as needed. These are the two “big boys”. I have a variety of smaller flashlights, too. The grids are used to control the “spill” and concentrate the light to a more specific area. The smaller flashlights have some sort of “snoot” made out of either gaffer’s tape or PVC tubing.
December 5, 2014
Clark’s Nutcracker: This is today’s version of Back Yard Birding in Jackson Hole: Within a few minutes of adding a few peanuts in a feeder, a pair of Clark’s Nutcrackers flew in to harvest them.
Red Squirrel: Not far behind, and right on queue, the female Red Squirrel returned to take her share.
Red Squirrel: This trunk is the same one I have been photographing the squirrel and other birds on for the past few weeks. Today, I spun it around for a different view and new possibilities. Although I might get several different chances, I have to be “quick at the shutter“. She only holds still for two or three seconds.
Today in Jackson Hole: I had to go downtown, so I loaded the gear. I made a quick loop out to Miller Butte and then to Flat Creek. We’ve been having a lot of warmer weather, melting considerable amounts of the snow around town. I have a feeling many of the Bighorns are staying up high because of all of the available food there. Normally, Bighorns come down to the road to lick ice chunks dropped from the passing vehicles, but most of it is melted off the vehicles and there isn’t much to make them come to the roads. Likewise, Flat Creek and most waterways are fully open, giving Swans and waterfowl plenty of other options. I’ve heard of a few sightings of River Otters on Flat Creek, but I haven’t seen them myself. Again, they have a lot of open water to work in right now. With all that said, there were still lots of Swans within shooting distance today. I hope to get out a bit more this afternoon and quite a bit over the weekend.
Workflow: FastRawViewer | by Thom Hogan I will probably try this viewer out soon. It could replace PhotoMechanic in my workflow? My Photographic Workflow: A Real World Workflow from Capture Through Final Backups.
Gasoline: The price for Unleaded/Self-Serv gasoline dropped to $2.74 at the Exon Station today. Quite a few stations are at $2.79 per gallon.
Photo Exhibit at the JH Historical Society & Museum: “Landscapes of Loss – A Window into Grand Teton’s Past”. The museum is located a couple blocks north of the Town Square on the main road in and out of town. Besides the show of images by Lisa Erdberg, the Museum has a very nice book store and gift shop. Check it out when you are in town.
Shane, and other JH Movie Sets: The Museum Book Store sells a CD titled “Wyoming – A History of Film & Video in the 20th Century” by Walt Farmer. Walt passed away back in January. I finally broke down and purchased his CD today for $39.95. I’d give it a thumbs down on the interface, all done in primitive HTML web page layouts, but there is a TON of information…enough to make it worth the investment. The newer version includes the Shane Movie information. In prior editions, the Shane portion was sold separately. If you are a movie buff, you can live with the clunky interface to get to the goodies. There are lots of photos, interviews, posters, ads and memorabilia, but he also includes fairly detailed information on finding the old movie set locations—including GPS coordinates and maps for the Starrett Homestead, town, cemetery, three tree hill, and of course, “the Shane Cabin”. With the CD, I found the cliffs the wagons went off in John Wayne’s first movie or the barns used in Rocky IV.
December 4, 2014
Three Swans: I went to Miller Butte twice today and to Flat Creek once and never fired a shot. That doesn’t happen very often. I could have taken one of a few feeding Bighorns. A few of them were down all the way to the Miller House. This shot was taken yesterday afternoon with calm water. Today, the wind was blowing briskly from the south. Plenty of Swans were around, but not in promising places.
Miller Butte Update: Lately, most of the herd has been grazing near the road and closer to the Miller House and not around the rocks. The biggest rams seem to be staying high unless they are chasing a ewe and she brings them down during a chase. That could happen at any time but I have trouble sitting in a parking area too long if there isn’t a Ram in sight.
Weather Overview: I’ve been getting up early enough to be in the Park for sunrise but there has been thick clouds on most of the recent mornings. It has been unseasonably warm recently, too, especially in town. Possibly, the north end of the park and high elevations have been getting a lot more snow and less drizzle and rain. Hunting season in the Park should be over soon and things might begin to feel normal again. I’d like to get more Moose images before they start dropping their antlers. It sounds like we might get a little snow before some clearing for the weekend.
Welcome to the New Subscribers! I noticed a few new people signed up to follow Best of the Tetons. Thanks! If you would like to get a notice by email of any new Feature Posts, take a second and sign up. All it takes is your email address. I have several new ones in the “queue”, so now’s a great time.
December 3, 2014
Refuge Elk: Actually, I took this image late yesterday, but didn’t download it until today. With hunters on the far east side of the refuge, elk huddle in large herds close to the highway on the west side.
Bighorns: Normally, there are quite a few Bighorns near Miller Butte. Today, I could only find these two. The ewe seemed to have more experience at the “rut” than this younger ram.
Four Trumpeter Swans: I spent a little time along Flat Creek hoping for some “action”. The light was nice, but the swans were content to just feed.
Bottoms Up: Flat Creek is the perfect depth for feeding Trumpeters.
Mallard: I like taking this kind of shot on a calm day.
December 2, 2014
Bighorn Ewes: On Miller Butte in the National Elk Refuge.
Swan Stretching its Wings: Along Flat Creek.
Sleeping Swans:
Hooded Mergansers: In Flat Creek. This is the first time I’ve seen them this year.
December 1, 2014
Fresh Snow! Yesterday, we had some sun. It was a good way to end November, but snow is back this morning and more is expected throughout the week. You’ll see I found plenty to photograph through the last half of November, and I don’t think I’ll have any trouble finding good subject matter in December. If you are a photographer and want some private instruction, consider a winter trip with me! Mike Jackson’s One-On-One Photography Excursions . The trips help me keep supplying this blog.
Winter Rams: Taken at Miller Butte this afternoon. There were five or six nice sized rams huddled around a couple of ewes. It had a lot of potential, but nothing happened.
Bighorns Mating: Maybe my comment about nothing happening depends on your point of view. This ram probably thought he had a pretty good day.
In the NEWS: Winter wildlife protection closures going into effect . This article in the Daily echoes some of the comments I’ve been making. The road north towards Curtis Canyon is now closed on the National Elk Refuge and the hillside to the south closed this morning, too. The traffic on the Elk Refuge road was much more quiet today.
In the NEWS: Yellowstone allows more time for fee hike comments. This could affect many tourists and residents with a separate entrance fee for GTNP and YS.
Winter Helpers: Some of the new links like this WY Road Reports might help you with important information—available with the click of your mouse. This page takes you directly to the road closures and advisories at the WYDOT Travel Site. There are also Weather Reports, Web Cams & Snow Reports.
Quick Sightings: I keep meaning to mention seeing a flock of Gray-cheeked Rosy-Finches feeding on Miller Butte. There are lots of waterfowl on Flat Creek right now with the waterway open. I saw 40 or so Pronghorns on the National Elk Refuge today, too. Over the weekend, a photographer friend saw iPhone photos of a wolf killing an otter at Oxbow Bend. A few Grizzlies are still reported out and looking for gut piles in the Park.
1st New Feature Post of December: Flehmen Response or “Lip Curl” in GTNP Moose While the title highlights Moose, I also included a photo of a Bighorn Ram, Mtn. Goat Billy, and a Mustang Stallion. Hope you enjoy it!
Click this link for some additional photos and information about my back yard setup. 
