Welcome to October! Foliage Reports September/October 2015 :
October is a month of big changes. This page will contain mostly wildlife and landscape images, plus area tidbits, events and activities. The Foliage Reports page will be a little more “foliage” specific and include updates as I get around to the various areas of the park.
Monthly Overviews for JH / GTNP .
Click the link above to get a quick look at what you might expect to find with all 12 months side by side. Hint: Click any of the months below to see how previous years looked!
Daily Updates Archives:
2015: Oct: | Sept: | Aug: | July: | June: | May: | Apr: | Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2014: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug: | July: | June: | May: | Apr: | Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2013: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug:
October 1, 2015 :
In my opinion, the two “sleeper months” in Jackson Hole are May and October. They have lots of possibilities, yet they don’t get the fanfare of months like June and September. Through the end of October, most of the roads are still open, but the bulk of the summer crowds have left the valley. Animals are active longer and days get shorter. With the sun lower in the sky, the quality morning light lingers longer. Check out October 2014 and October 2013 to get an idea of what to expect this month!
Light of the Moon: The remains of the full moon were lighting the early morning clouds when I drove up to Schwabacher Landing this morning. The moon was bright enough I didn’t need a flashlight to walk to a good spot. The camera wasn’t able to focus on the mountains with so little light, so I aimed at the moon and let it obtain focus. I put the lens in Manual mode, then shot this image with the camera on a sturdy tripod. I could lighten this image some, but I think it would defeat the idea of it being a true night shot. D810 and Nikon 24-70mm lens.
Schwabacher Inlet: Moody morning clouds and changing cottonwoods. D810 and Nikon 24-70mm lens.
Beaver Dam: D810 and Nikon 24-70mm lens.
Reflections: The camera was just above water level to get the reflections in the small beaver pond. D810 and Nikon 24-70mm lens.
Barrows Golden Eyes: Taken in the upper pond. I didn’t see a male this morning. D810 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
John Moulton Barn Roofers: The south side of the barn is now shingled, but the area is still a mess. There were a couple of boards leaning against the barn, a trailer showing from behind, an outhouse and other ladders and equipment scattered around. I included a wide shot on the Foliage Reports page. D810 and Nikon 24-70mm lens.
Until I have time to add more October photos, you might want to check back on the last week of September 2015 Daily Updates & Photos for Grand Teton National Park & JH: A Monthly Journal.
Most Recent Feature Post: Aging the New Moulton Barn Roof in Lightroom: D810 and Nikon 24-70mm lens.
Roof Exchange: I tried something different this afternoon. I found a similar shot of this barn I took in 1913, selected the two roof sections and copied them to a new document. I used those two sections to place over the shot from today—reshaping them to fit using the Free Transform tools.
One-On-One Excursions Openings: I have several openings for October. The trips are designed to help people learn to use their DSLR cameras and help photographers find some of GTNP’s nice shooting locations. Click the link for more information. (Golden Era Studios / Mike R. Jackson is an Authorized Permittee of the National Park Service and the National Elk Refuge.)
Wildlife Reports: If you haven’t found this page, check it out! Where to Find Wildlife in the Tetons and JH Area . Here are a few recent reports.
- Bull Moose seen along Moose-Wilson Road recently.
- Bull Moose and Cows at Schwabacher Landing – Occasionally
- Grizzly Boar on a Moose kill under the JH Lodge.
- Great Gray Owl on Moose-Wilson Road – occasionally
- Great Gray and Great Horned Owls along the Gros Ventre Road – occasionally
- Moose along Gros Ventre Road. – fairly often
- Elk in early mornings along Inner Park Loop Road…Windy Point, Jenny Lake, String Lake
- Cross Fox at Lupine Meadows early. – occasionally
- Bison are still north near Elk Flats – regularly
- Pronghorns along Mormon Row road and Warm Springs Road – regularly
