Late Spring In PA Elk Country

Late spring in Pennsylvania's elk range and outdoor photographers are concentrating on photographing the elk calves. There has been a lot of rainfall this spring and one has to keep close to the vehicle or be prepared to weather a severe thunderstorm.

Distant Thunderhead

Elk usually go in early in the morning to avoid the hot rays of the sun and come out very late in the evening, but an afternoon thunder storm may bring them to the fields earlier.

Herd Feeding In The Rain

An added bonus of this type of weather is the potential for dramatic landscape shots as the skies clear and fog lifts after the storm.

Fog Forms After Shower

While I was taking the photograph above, the sun was behind a bank of heavy clouds, but there was a clear spot that it had to cross before setting.  I anticipated dramatic interaction of the rays of the sun with the fog when it came from behind the clouds and I was not disappointed.

Late Evening Sun Adds Dramatic Cast To Rising Fog

Winslow Hill Sunset

I have seen several calves, but they have been too far away for the best quality still photographs or it has been too foggy.  The photo below was taken at extreme range with the 600mm f4 and 1.4x extender and cropped severely on top of that.

Distant Calves

Each year the PGC captures several calves and fits them with radio collars and/or ear tags for research purposes and a large number of the animals seen on Winslow Hill are wearing the tags.  It is normal for elk to be more skittish at this time of year to help protect the young  from predators, but it does seem likely that capturing the calves contributes to this shyness as does the influx of nature enthusiasts.

Originally published by Willard Hill at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer.

First Fawn

Hidden Fawn: Panasonic GH4-Lumix 100-300mm f 4.0-5.6 @ 150mm-ISO 200-1.40 Sec. f 8.0

Is the fawn above just hours old or is it days old?  In most cases one does not know the answer, but in this case I am reasonably certain that I do.

I watch the local herd quite closely and can identify several individual animals.  One doe in particular stands out above all of the rest and she had a large abdomen--a sure sign of pregnancy.  I usually see her each day, but she did not appear on the morning of June 3rd and when she showed up that evening her flanks were sunken which was a sure indication she had given birth.

Shortly after sunrise on June 7th I found her feeding in a clover field and a fawn was with her. Since I was walking I had only the new Panasonic GH4 with the 100-300mm lens with me.  This is a hybrid camera which takes takes both video and stills. It stands out because it is one of the first pro-sumer cameras to take 4K video, which at this point seems to be the wave of the future (or at least umtil 6K or 8K comes along). I mostly took video, but did take a few stills, the two best of which are posted below.

Doe With Fawn: Panasonic GH4-Lumix 100-300mm f 4.0-5.6 @ 100mm-ISO 200-1/200 Sec. f 8.0

Fawn Nursing: Panasonic GH4-Lumix 100-300mm f 4.0-5.6 @ 214 mm-ISO 200-1/200 Sec. f 8.0

As the sun grew hotter she fed to the edge of the meadow and then entered the woods to spend the day with the fawn accompanying her. In time I walked to the edge of the woods and saw the fawn hidden on the forest floor.  This natural camouflage is their foremost defense against attacks from predators at this time of life.  You will also note that in many photos I post of does and fawns that the doe is licking the fawns rear.  This is to keep waste matter cleaned away so as to minimize scent so actually scent control and camouflage work together to aid in the fawn's survival.

While I continued to see the doe regularly, I didn't see her with a fawn again until the evening of June 9th.  I was on stand watching the same meadow when she appeared with what appears to be the same fawn.

Fawn Nursing: Canon 5d MK III-Canon 600mm f 4.0 IS L-ISO 400- 1/500 sec-f 5.0

Alert Fawn: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm f 4.0 IS L-ISO 400- 1/500 sec-f 5.0

Does normally have one to two fawns, but sometimes they have triplets or even more in extremely rare cases.  This doe had triplets in 2012, but only had one fawn in 2013.  How many will she have this year?  I already partially know the answer, but that is for another days post.

Most if not all of the does in the local herd  have now given birth and fawn sightings are increasing, but it will be sometime until the fawns become the doe's constant companions.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

PA Governor Corbett and Keystone Elk Country Alliance Sign Long Term Agreement.

Elk Country Visitor Center: 2013 Elk Expo

The Keystone Elk Country Alliance(KECA) and PA Governor Tom Corbett recently signed a long term agreement that continues the operation of Elk Country Visitors Center for 35 years.

Some had speculated that DCNR would assume direct control of the facility at some point in the future with  DCNR employees staffing it under the supervision of a career DCNR officer equivalent to a State Park Superintendent, but this action seems to lay this type of speculation to rest.

Advocates of the Public/Private Partnership between KECA and The Commonwealth point out that The Center's operation is not funded by taxpayers dollars, while a operation totally administered by DCNR or another state agency would be.

Operation of Visitor Center is partially funded by proceeds from gift shop and theater ticket sales.

Those opposed to the arrangement are concerned that this gives a private group too much control over a public resource and point to certain policies that they view as unduly restrictive or likely to cause problems, or at best not alleviate them.  A prime example is the" no stopping on the road or parking along the roadway" signs along the drive to the Visitor Center from Winslow Hill Road.

Would a pull-off area prevent problems in this area?

Certainly it does not work for people to stop in the road, but how many are able to resist doing so when they see elk in the meadow or standing by the roadside?  Should a pull-off area or extra lane been provided in this area so people could legally stop, or would this  lead to further problems? Would the cost of installing the lane outweigh any benefit it may have given?

This is only one example. It is always easier to criticize than to find workable solutions, but hopefully interest groups can work together to provide a better experience for all.

Whatever the case the KECA will continue to administer the Visitor Center for many years, barring some unforeseen circumstance.

Published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

The following is the news release from The Pennsylvania Office of The Governor in its' entirety.

News for Immediate Release
June 2, 2014
Governor Corbett Signs Long-Term Agreement for Public/Private Partnership at Elk Country Visitor Center in Pennsylvania Wilds.

Harrisburg – Governor Tom Corbett signed a 35-year agreement with the non-profit Keystone Elk Country Alliance (KECA) for operation of Elk Country Visitor Center in Elk County, cementing a public/private partnership that was begun before the center first opened in 2010.

The Elk Country Visitor Center is nestled on 245-acres owned by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in Benezette. KECA, a Pennsylvania-based wildlife conservation organization, operates the center without state funding. KECA raises operational revenue through services such as gift shop sales, theater tickets, wagon and sleigh rides and other special events.

“This is a great partnership between government and a non-profit organization to continue to improve and expand the resources and services that DCNR provides to our citizens, and ensure a quality visitor experience at the Elk Country Visitor Center,” Corbett said. “Our relationship with KECA is a true success story, as together we have been able to improve wildlife habitat, educate the public about conservation, support tourism and create local jobs.”

The center is open year round and includes a 4-D story theater with special effects that explore the sight, smells and sounds of the area; interactive and interpretive exhibits; wildlife trails and viewing areas; wagon and sleigh rides; educational programming; and parking for cars, RVs and buses.

“The Keystone Elk Country Alliance is pleased and proud to partner with the Commonwealth to operate this world-class destination,” said Rawley Cogan, CEO Keystone Elk Country Alliance. “KECA’s educational and stewardship programs provide a clear and consistent conservation message and continue to attract more and more guests to Pennsylvania’s Elk Country. Local businesses continue to expand and create new jobs that fuel economic development in the region.”

The new agreement requires a significant capital investment by KECA, which has begun construction of an outdoor classroom to accommodate more educational programs and special events at the center.
Governor Corbett visited the center in the fall, noting…”attendance at the center has grown to 350,000 tourists annually, each spending money and supporting local small businesses.”

Twelve jobs were created by KECA to operate the elk center. Its gift shop provides more than 60 small local vendors and artisans with a new market opportunity. The number of lodging establishments near the center has almost doubled; three wineries have opened – all with an elk theme; and local stores and restaurants are expanding.

Pennsylvania’s elk herd currently numbers more than 800 animals – the largest elk herd in the northeastern United States.

For more information about the Elk Country Visitor Center, visit www.ElkCountryVisitorCenter.com or call 814-787-5167. To learn more about the Keystone Elk Country Alliance, go to www.ExperienceElkCountry.com. For more information about DCNR visit the website at www.dcnr.state.pa.us.

Media contact:
Valerie Caras, Governor’s Office; 717-783-1116
Christina Novak, DCNR; 717-772-9101
###

Attention Shifts To Whiterails As Turkey Activity Dies

Mid to late May and turkeys may still be seen, but gobbling activity is really dying down.  It is still possible to hear a gobbler or see one strutting, but one is more likely to spend a morning without hearing one and when they do see a mature bird it is most likely to be feeding. 

Leaving The Meadow: Canon 7D-Canon 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 118mm-ISO 400-1/200 sec. f 6.3

Mature Gobbler: Canon 7D-Canon 55-250mm f 4.5-5.6 IS STM @ 250mm -ISO 400-1/400 sec. f8.0

I normally use Canon L lenses for most of my photography, but I have used two non-L lenses quite a bit this spring.  The Canon 70D does an excellent job at shooting video, as it has superb auto-focus in video mode instead of the slow, hunting auto focus that was the norm in previous versions.  This was unusable for wildlife filming so I always filmed in manual focus mode.  The focusing problem was solved with the 70D and in fact may have been solved with the Rebel T4i or 5i, but I never tried those as they did not have the 3x crop mode.

At any rate focusing is now very acceptable with the exception that the built in microphone or a shotgun mike mounted on camera picks up the noise of the focus motor.  There are some work arounds for this including putting the mike off-camera, but the solution with the least hassle is using Canon  STM lenses which were built to give silent operation in video mode.  The downside is there are only a few models of these  lenses and they do not use premium quality glass or construction. They are available only in the EF-S mount and must  be used only on crop-sensor Canons.  I acquired used copies of the  18-135mm f 3.5-5.6 IS STM and  55-250mm 4.5-5.6  IS STM  lenses this spring from KEH in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both lenses perform very well for video and they do a decent job at still photography.  It seems that my copy of the 18-135mm is a bit better built than the 55-250mm, but I really have no complaints about either considering that the 55-250 cost less than $300.00, while the 18-135 was under $350.00.  They do not have the stinging sharpness of the L lenses for still photos and I miss the wider maximum f stop of lens like the 70-200mm f 2.8, but of course when needed one can still use the L lenses when needed in video mode and use work-arounds for the sound.  The STM lenses were instrumental in causing me to use the old 7D quite a bit more this spring for still photograhy than I usually would have,  as it was common to have whichever lens which was not on the 70D mounted on the 7D and lying close at hand.

I take few landscapes, but I used the 18-135mm for many of those that I did take. It compares  well with lenses such as the 28-135mm IS in EF mount on a full frame camera,  as with the 1.6 sensor crop factor of the 7D--70D, etc. this lens has a focal length equivalent of  about 29mm--216m.

Late Evening : Canon 7D-Canon 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 18mm-ISO 400-1/125 sec-. f 8.0

My attention is shifting to the whitetail deer as turkey activity winds down,  the time for the birth of the whitetail fawns is at hand and  bucks with significant antler growth are appearing.

New Growth : Canon 7D-Canon 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 135mm-ISO 400-1/200 sec-. f6.3

The one below is the largest I have seen so far this spring.  In my experience bucks in our area that are this size now usually make bucks of eight points or more by early July.  Both bucks are at least two years old. This photo below is also  the only one shown today that was taken with an L (600mm) lens and the 5D MK III.  At first glance it may not look  as good as those taken with the 7D and STM lenses, but this is a photo that could not have been taken with those lenses.  It was very early and the buck was much farther away than the one above.  In retrospect I should have started at ISO 1600 and tried a lower shutter speed, but I fired a few frames at ISO 3200 first and it had the most pleasing pose so I posted it today, but the frames taken at ISO 1600 showed less grain and better sharpness.

Mature Buck : Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm F4 IS L-ISO 3200-1/160 sec-. f5.0

Hopefully I will have some young fawn photos to post soon. Some fawns in this area are born as early as Mid-May, but the bulk are born during the first two weeks of June so I should be seeing them any day now.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.