A monthly journal of wildlife reports, scenic opportunities, and tidbits for both photographers and Teton visitors!
Please Note: This is first entry or template for the first day of March. Please check the last few days of February 2015 Daily Updates & Photos for Grand Teton National Park & JH: I’ll be adding new images and notes throughout the month!
Recent Daily Updates Archives:
2015: Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2014: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug: | July: | June: | May: | Apr: | Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2013: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug:
March Overview:
Most of the winter months offer similar opportunities for both wildlife and landscapes: Mountain Goats “normally” start becoming more dependable subjects in March. Red Foxes and Owls seem to appear in random places during this month. Feb: 2015: | Jan: 2015 | Jan: 2014 | Feb: 2014 | Mar: 2014: | Dec: 2013. Also check out: The Dead of Winter: The Cold Realities and Exciting Possibilities of Winter Photography in GTNP..
Suggested “Opportunities”: Right now, here are my top spots to check out, especially for wildlife. Some will be a bit of a gamble, but they might also pay off in a big way if you hit it right. Also note, winter keeps a stronger grip on the landscape in the northern parts of the park and along the base of the mountains. It can start looking like early Spring in some areas and look like December in others.
- Flat Creek Observation Deck: Look for Swans Along Flat Creek, Geese, Ducks and occasional River Otters.
- Boyle’s Hill Pond: Trumpeter Swans of Boyle’s Hill: (The link includes a map)
- Miller Butte: Look for Bighorns , Elk, Pronghorns, Coyotes, Wolves, Eagles, Ravens, Bison.
- Gros Ventre River: Look for Moose , Bald Eagles, Elk, and Bison there.
- Kelly Area: Look for Mule Deer at the edges of town and around the Shane Cabins. Also keep an eye out for a Porcupine near the Shane cabins.
- Alpine Junction: Watch for Mountain Goats near the mouth of the canyon. With so much of the higher elevations melted off, it doesn’t appear many of the Mountain Goats are coming down anywhere near the road at this time. Wait for more snow to give them a reason to move down.
- Camp Creek along the Hoback River: Check out Bighorns along the road.
- Sleigh Ride on the National Elk Refuge: Best winter deal in the valley! With all of the warm weather, sleighs have been replaced with wagons. Elk are scattered and the trips are longer.
Important Winter 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.
- The National Elk Refuge & Miller Butte: This is one of the best areas for wildlife during much of the Winter.
Oldie But Goodie Post of the Day
Some kind of switch goes off in March. Many of the previous Winter months seem about the same. This is a month to watch for the subtle changes. In March, the landscape can change—sometimes dramatically and sometimes quickly.
Most Recent Feature Post: Swan Skirmish on Ice:
This page contains a sequence of about 18 images taken with a Nikon D4 of a battle between two Trumpeter Swan families at Boyle’s Hill. Not many visitors to the valley will ever see anything quite like these shots. It includes a full “take-down”, recovery and chase.
March 1, 2015:
This is a new month with no possible photos yet! Here’s just one shot from the last day of February.
February 2015 Daily Updates & Photos for Grand Teton National Park & JH:
Check back later in the day for a few images from today. MJ
