2/24/14 Elk Herd Locations & Trumpeter Swans

This morning there were 2 elk herds in the south end of Boxley Valley. One was right next to the river at Cave Mountain Road, and a second was in the Smith Creek field north of Smith Creek. The herd closer to the river was split on both sides of the road.

I have not seen a trumpeter swan, collared or uncollared for my last few visits to the valley. They have been a pretty permanent fixture at the Boxley Mill Pond for a few years. Recently they were joined by 4 uncollared swans. All are gone now. It will be interesting to see if the collared swans are gone now. It is possible they are just nearby.

The daffodil shoots are now showing. This is the first reliable signal that the wildflower season is just around the corner. We should see the first wild flowers in a week or two at Lost Valley and the Smith Creek Preserve as well as other hot spots all along the river. More on wildflowers soon.

2/22/14 Elk Herd Map & Boxley Valley Report

There is one herd kicking around in the deep south end of Boxley Valley in the Smith Creek field. It moved from south of the spring to north of Smith Creek yesterday.

For the second day I saw no trumpeter swans on the Boxley Mill pond, neither the collared pair, nor the 4 uncollared trumpeters that have been around recently. This will be interesting to track.

2/13/14 2 Elk Herds in Boxley Valley, Wild Trumpeters Still on MIll Pond

Elk returned to the fields after all the snow storms. Two herds yesterday, one in the second Ponca field, and a second down by Smith Creek.

I am sure the bulls are around, but I didn't see them when I did my survey yesterday. Yesterday was the first day I have been able to get out in about 2 weeks. Our road is a sheet of ice.

Be sure to visit the mill pond and check out the uncollared trumpeter swans. There are 4 of them and they do not seem to mix with the non-migrating collared swans. They have been on the pond now for a few weeks. It will be interesting to see how long they stay.

1/28/14 4 Uncollared Trumpeters in Boxley Mill Pond

Before the collared trumpeters, the migration experiment, there were only uncollared trumpeters at the Boxley Mill pond. After a long respite, 4 have taken up residence in the mill pond. My guess is that they won't be there long, but who really knows. The 2 collared trumpeters remain -- the 2 groups don't appear to be connected.

If you want to see them, I would not wait to visit.

Uncollared Trumpeters Visit Boxley Mill Pond

Touchdown Trumpeter Swan II

I like this one better.

Touchdown Trumpeter Swan 2

Photographing Trumpeter Swans in Boxley Valley, Touchdown Trumpeter Swan

Patterning trumpeter takeoffs and landings on the Boxley Mill Pond is pretty easy. When they are ready to take off they act nervous and don't feed much. You will notice they bob their heads and do a little honking, often pretty faint, but audible. Suddenly the takeoff happens and they skitter across the water and they are off. They will fly around the valley for a few minutes before landing back at the pond. You have time to prepare -- use it.

The great thing in Boxley Valley is that the trumpeters return after takeoff. This morning I shot the takeoff in kind of dim light as the sun was rising. I knew from experience the trumpeters would fly the length of the valley and land back at the mill pond, typically in 5 minutes or so. There are 2 narrow strips where the trumpeters might land. I chose the one that was just lighting up from the sunrise, guessing that they might prefer it to the still dark portion of the pond. It turned out to be the correct choice.

Touchdown Trumpeter Swan, Boxley Mill Pond

A couple of tips. First, observe. Pay attention and think about what you see. Getting the above photo was based first on a way of thinking. Don't necessarily adopt my thinking, adopt my habit of thinking and concentration during a shoot. I want you to find your own patterns, your own approach.

Second tip. These guys are moving fast when then land. When you scope out your anticipated landing spot, do some pre-focusing testing, think about the landscape behind the subject. Choose your angle for the shot to setup the background to complement your composition.  Your composition is both the subject and its context. This photo would be pretty good if it were only the swan. I think it is much better with the brush along the pond illuminated by the sunrise, and added to the composition. This strategy of placing the subject in context could be the difference between a "wall hanger" and just a pretty good photo.

Third tip. I try to shoot these shots at f8 or more to add depth of field, especially when the subject is approaching me as in this photo almost straight on.  It provides a margin of error for good focus. I also pre-focus and let the swan fly into the focus. To get to this aperture, and still have a decent shutter speed I shot this at ISO 2000 and 1/1580th of a second. In reasonably bright light the noise is not too bad.

I hand-held the entire shoot. At this shutter speed hand holding my camera is a non-issue. In many ways, hand-holding the camera allows me to make the quick adjustments needed to get the shot in wildlife photography.

1/1/14 Elk Herd Location Map

Elk showed up for new years day.  With the exception of an all bull herd just north of the mill pond, the elk were near the Buffalo River in the south end, and again in the deep south end past the trailhead.

No otter today when I was around the pond, but there is no reason to believe they are not there for a stay. There are a lot of fish in the pond, and the river is running relatively hard and has less fish. I would definitely check for otter in the pond in any visit to the valley. There has been an eagle hanging out around the mill pond as well recently.

Bald Eagle Boxley Mill Pond 12/31

This eagle is pretty cooperative. He has been hunting the mill pond for a while now. The mill pond has more fish than the river and I think the hunting is easier. I had the impression this morning he was watching the otter to see if they might miss an injured fish.

Bald Eagle at the Mill Pond