Good Ponca Elk Viewing for Weekend near Ponca

Elk Remain in Ponca fields for now over a week. They show up mornings and evenings. This is a mature herd with a herd bull and many satellite bulls. The river remains up, some are floating from Ponca. Weather is to turn cooler Saturday and Sunday, this will only make elk viewing better.  The NPS Old Mill Tours continue 10 to 1 all weekend down by the Mill Pond. Friday and Saturday is the Ponce Elk Education Center's Color fest from 10 to 4:30 each day. I will be doing free workshops on elk photography at 2PM each day. Please call the center to register, seating is limited. Color Fest Brochure is below the map. 

As October kicks off, there are more elk in Boxley Valley, and many more bulls showing up. 3 herds were visible this morning, but the 2 main herds are at opposite ends of Boxley Valley.  If you want to hear bugling I would rate the north herd the best, if you hope to catch a bull fight, I would say both herds offer great prospect for a fight as new bulls arrive. This weekend the NPS has the old mill open for tours, it is a worthwhile visit. The Boxley Mill is a turbine mill rather than a water wheel. It is an interesting tour. It is located just north of the mill pond and is open 10AM to 1PM each Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October. The mill dates from the 1870s. 

Sunrise Anemone, Lost Valley Trail

Sunrise Anemone, Lost Valley

This Rue Anemone picture was taken 2 days ago. I hand held it from about 7 feet with my big 100-400 zoom.

The flower was in the middle of a bunch of dead grass that softened the morning sun. Look for these situations, often photographers don't notice slightly hidden flowers. They offer great filtered light opportunities. It is the small things that make flower photos exceptional. Note the tiny drops on the edge of the leaves.

Anemones look an awful lot like Sharp Lobed Hepaticas, but the leaves make it easy to tell them apart. Hepatica blooms have no leaves on the stalk around them. Rue Anemones always have leaves on the stalks. This picture is very typical.

The Rue Anemones are now coming on and they are a relatively long blooming wildflower compared to other spring wildflowers. Colors will range from this pink to white.

11/1/13 Great Weekend Outlook for Elk, Color & Old Grist Mill Tours

The weather is perfect this weekend for elk viewing. If the elk cooperate you can expect extended viewing. Yesterday's 2 herds visible, and a 3rd behind a tree line was the best setup for a while. Elk seem to be moving out of the woodlands to the fields again, perhaps in part due to some leaf drop.

This could be the best weekend for fall color of the year. There will be very good light and color is at its peak now. In the Buffalo River region fall color can vary a lot depending on location. There are still some areas where the peak is still a few days off because of slightly different local climate.  Hollers are different than mountain tops, even the east-west vs. north-south orientation of hollers seems to impact color dates.  The bottom line is that we will have good color for at least a week in many different locations.

There will be one more tour of the Old Grist Mill in Boxley Valley this weekend. This has drawn large crowds this year and it is definitely worth seeing.  Hours are from 10 AM to 1 PM Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

NPS Ranger Linda Bishop Interprets the Old Boxley Valley Mill

10/26/13 Elk Herd Locations & Report

Elk viewing was pretty good this morning, but you had to be out early.  The Ponca herd was out, but it went back to the river by 8:30, in contrast to yesterday's extended viewing.  I expect they will be back in the fields for viewing tonight.  This herd had quite a few satellite bulls and the herd bull bugled a lot.

In the south end, the elk herd was out by the Upper Trailhead but also seemed to be heading for cover relatively early.  Again a few satellite bulls.

There were a handful of bulls at the 43/21 intersection fields.

I would say the rut pattern has now shifted to more normal conditions.  We have gone from 1 herd to 2, and the number of satellite bulls has increased.  In the past there have been as many as 5 herds at once during this period.  Perhaps now we are on that road.

Fall color is getting good now.  This morning the trumpeter swans were also close to the road putting on a show for many photographers.  Please don't feed them, it is like sentencing them to death.

Boxley Mill Pond from the South in Fog

Foggy weather is a great time to experiment with soft focus as given by nature. Under the right conditions you can create images that are very dimensional and moody.

This is the Boxley Mill Pond shot from the south end with my 400 mm lens. To my eye, it is painterly, and if I painted I would be going for this now and then. This morning Boxley Valley offered up some amazing landscape possibilities.

Boxley Valley Mill Pond from the South

The Old Historic Mill is Open This Weekend for Tours

Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm each day the historic Boxley Valley Mill will be open to visitors.  It is located just north of the mill pond.  Look for the signs.

Inside the mill are great displays of the old machinery.  The mill is a turbine mill rather than a waterwheel mill that is much more common.

Park Ranger Linda Bishop does interpretive presentations of the history of the mill and items of interest.

This is a perfect complement to your visit to Boxley Valley to see the elk.  Usually by 10 am the herds have left the fields and they return at 5 pm or so as the sunlight begins to fade.