Velvet Be Gone!

This is an interesting time of the year for bull elk. Antler growth has occurred for some time now. The antlers, coated in velvet to provide nutrition for growth, are nearly done growing. The velvet that was so vital to their growth is now just in the way. It is starting to peel and fall off the antler. From what I witnessed last week, it seemed to me that the bull’s experience some form of itchiness and some low-level but annoying experiences now with this velvet. They rub their antlers on trees and bushes, shake their head from side to side, and even try to use their back hoofs to scratch the velvet off their antlers!

The breeding season is only about a month away, so eating and gaining strength and energy are critical if a bull expects to be in the running for a harem. Yes, this certainly is an interesting time of the year for the bulls.

Last week I captured two shots of bulls in this velvet shed. The first is a better photo in my opinion, but the bull is wearing a collar. This is not uncommon and the Pennsylvania Game Commission often uses collar transmitters to track elk and learn more about their behavior. It is a great tool for the biologists, but not so attractive in a photograph. My son has a great perspective on this that I definitely agree with. He says, get over it dad, it’s part of the story of the elk, so let the collar be seen. Okay, but it could have been such a great, breath-taking photograph…. okay, calm down, listen to my son’s logic. This is part of the elk story. Get over it.

I am so glad that we have elk in Pennsylvania. I am witness to the habitat improvement that not only supports the elk in our state, but many other wildlife species as well! On our property up on Winslow Hill we routinely and regularly see deer, rabbits, turkey, and grouse. We also see an occasional black bear or coyote, and much more! This careful and calculated protection of the land is vital for the survival of the elk herd and also supports all kinds of wildlife.

The elk are amazing animals. I can literally sit and watch an elk, even a cow, for hours. Some people only get excited about the big bulls, but I don’t care if it’s a bull, a calf, or a cow; they’re all fascinating and beautiful to me!

Here are two photos of the elk as they are beginning to shed their velvet. Look at the antler growth of these tremendous bulls and notice the velvet hanging down from their antlers. The first one is wearing a collar, but remember, this is part of the elk story. The second one looks a little more wild, and he was the one who I watched as he tried to scratch his antler with his hind hoof. I imagined it was an itchy experience and the big ole’ bull was thinking, “Velvet be gone!”

The Small Ones Attract Attention

I was fortunate last week to spend some time in the mountains photographing the Pennsylvania elk with my son, James. We had a limited time and it rained much of the time. I took 1,122 photos and was pleased with 72 of them. Not too bad considering the lousy weather conditions. We got lucky getting onto elk early and often. By all standards it was a great trip!

I returned home and created a slide show of my 10 best photos to share on the website. I put that link in my previous blog entry 3 days ago. I received many encouraging and positive comments about these photos, but the amazing thing to me was just how much attention the photos of the elk calves received. It was truly amazing to me! Now, don’t get me wrong, I like the little ones, too, but I just didn’t expect these photos to draw so much attention over the others. There seems to be something special about these small ones.

Similar to our human experience, these little elk grow up fast! They still have their spots in August, but that will change rather quickly and they are already much bigger than when they were first-born two months ago. Time definitely has a way of marching on quickly!

Here are three photos of elk calves that I was able to capture last week. I can already hear some folk saying, “Ahhh, aren’t they so cute?” Yep, the small ones do attract attention!

Why I Love Photographing Wildlife

The subjects don’t talk back! While this is true about wildlife I am being facetious of course. Although there are some days after dealing with difficult people when I do prefer being alone with wildlife! Seriously, I can think of nothing better than spending several days out on a mountain photographing wildlife. It does not matter to me if the subjects are elk, deer, turkey, rabbits, grouse, squirrels, birds, or chipmunks. The thrill of capturing their interesting and fascinating movement with a camera is a thrill to me!

This past week I was with my son, James, which come to think of it, is another excellent reason to photograph wildlife! We spent parts of three days on the elk range in Pennsylvania near our vacation property. The bulls are beginning to shed their velvet and we located a number of bulls on our trip. I can stand there all day photographing and watching the elk and think nothing of it. In fact, it is in these moments when all else is shut out that I most love. Life is far too fast-paced these days and I am definitely guilty of trying my version of running the rat race. But up there in the mountains life seems to take on a different and fuller meaning. If I could photograph wildlife for a living I would definitely do it!

One of the things that amazes me about wildlife photography is that I always seem to learn something new about the animal or bird I am shooting. I have been a hunter since I was twelve years old. That is many years of spending time in the mountains and fields! Yet, no matter how much time I spend afield, I always learn something new. Watch an animal, even a bird, for any length of time and I certain you will begin to see things you did not notice before. Observation is an incredible learning tool. My grandmother used to enjoy sitting in a crowded area and watching people. As a kid I could never imagine how watching people could be so exciting and pleasurable for her. Now that I am older and wiser, I think I am beginning to see her point.

I also thoroughly enjoy the challenge of trying to share the beauty of nature with others who cannot experience it firsthand. To capture the beauty of the wild takes a great deal of effort. We have to weather the elements, locate the wildlife, be at the right the exact right place at the right time, use our photo skills, and hope that we got lucky! Plenty of things can go wrong and often do. Perseverance and patience are critical and I am slowly, albeit slowly, learning these important skills necessary for wildlife photographers.

Being out in the wilderness is another side benefit. What can rival spending time in the beauty of God’s creation? Walking through the woods in itself is enjoyable to me. And then when wildlife suddenly appears it can almost take our breath away. I often wonder, how many deer, elk, or other wild animals did I walk by without seeing? These creatures have learned the art of camouflage and stealth out of necessity. Their very life depends on it! When we get a little wet or uncomfortable, we can hightail it back to camp and warm up. These wild animals do not have that luxury.

This week I enjoyed myself as my son and I spent time on the elk range behind our cameras. I love photographing wildlife!

Upcoming PA Elk Photography Experience

Do you ever dream of being close to wildlife and taking photographs of wild animals?

If you do, then this trip is definitely for you! Dick McCreight and I have led wildlife photo trips for several years now and we can guarantee you will learn more about photography and wildlife, see some amazing sites, and have a great time! I saw a lot of elk this year and just this week saw some tremendous bulls and quite a few calves still with spots. The bulls are beginning to shed their velvet, which means the breeding season is right around the corner! Once the rut is in full swing, you can expect the bulls to put on an incredible display! They will be jostling for breeding rights by bugling, sparring, marking their territory, and rounding up their harems. It is my favorite time of the year to be sure!

Learning how to be a better photographer is easier if you don’t do it alone. I am always amazed at how much knowledge is shared between photographer on each of our photo trips. It is nothing short of amazing. For example, sometimes we come back to camp after  along shoot, open up our laptops to upload our photos, and then sit there and compare notes with each other. It is truly an educational experience. The best part, of course, is being out on the elk range photographing the elk. In my 20 years of finding, observing, and photographing the elk I see many wonderful sights. I’ve learned where the elk are likely to be found and know a lot more about their behavior than I did 19 years ago.

If you dream  of capturing the PA elk with  your camera, then this trip is one you should consider. We have two different “experiences” or photo trips. The Fall Rut Trip this September 27-30th and the Winter Experience February 21-24th. You can find out more information about these unique photo trips here. Join us for one of these photo trips for an experience of a lifetime!

Pennsylvania Elk

I am just back from a week of vacation and another short trip away to the beautiful mountains of Elk County, Pennsylvania. Man, I love the mountains! There is no other placed I’d rather go.

My son, James, and I had a few days to get away since he is in-between baseball seasons. I tease my friends and relatives that I am a glorified taxi driver who doesn’t even get tips! Yes, we are busy, busy, busy, but I’d be bored otherwise, so I only complain in jest. Anyway, we had a few days to get away and it rained about half the time! This didn’t deter us though. We photographed two nice bulls in a steady rain. The bulls didn’t seem to mind us or the rain!

Here are some photos from our trip this week. You can see more of the photos I captured of the PA Elk here.

I hope you enjoy the elk photos because I sure had fun this week!

-Bob
bob@bobshankphotography.com
www.bobshankphotography.com
www.perfectgamephotos.com

Black Bear

Last week I was able to see and photograph a black bear!

You can view some of these photographs here.

It was great fun watching this young bear take bags from the dumpster, carry them to his stash, and rummage through them. It was fun to watch! I cannot remember a time when I was able to be this close to a black bear with my camera in hand. I made sure to follow wildlife protocol not to get too close and my past years of outdoor experience came in handy in this situation. The bear was not all that big but it was a thrill nevertheless.

As you can see, this bear has two ear tags that I assume were attached by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. I hope this bear does not become a nuisance, and more importantly, I hope some well-meaning but misinformed humans do not get this bear in trouble. Watching, observing, and photographing are certainly acceptable; but don’t get too close or try to pet wildlife!

I hope you enjoy viewing these photos.

Birding

I readily admit that I am not much of a birder. Until a few years ago I photographed mammals and large mammals at that. This began to change about three years ago when I first visited Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. I began to photograph the big birds and enjoyed this location very much.

I slowly learned how to identify the bigger birds and even picked up a “Pocket Naturalist Guide” to help me in this endeavor. I learned the subtle differences between the Great Egret and the Snowy Egret. Slowly but surely I was learning more and more about birds.

This week I returned to Chincoteague. The trip began like many previous ones–photographing a few Great Blue Herons, a Great Egret, and several ducks. I even learned to distinguish the differences between the Mallard and the Northern Shoveler.

Then something unusual and exciting happened–I spotted an unusual and interesting bird that I had never seen before. It behaved in an unusual manner as it pointed its head to the sky and moved in a strange gyration that resembled the weeds blowing in the wind. I took a few photos and it was gone.

Later in the day I happened upon this bird again. Two men approached me and asked what I had seen. I tried to describe this particular bird and then showed them an image of it from my camera’s LCD screen. They excited and enthusiastically informed me that I had spotted an American Bittern! We found this bird again and took some more photographs.

I still am not much of a birder. I know, for example, that without the help of these two nice men I would have had a hard time identifying this bird. I might still not known what I had seen. But I am learning and growing to like birds more and more.

Here are a few images of the American Bittern I saw this week.

Chincoteague

Over the past two days I have been in Chincoteague Virginia photographing wildlife at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. This is my third trip in three years to this excellent location and it has quickly become one of my favorite stomping grounds. It was cold yesterday. Today is warmer but there is ice everywhere and some snow on the ground in spots.

Today I was fortunate enough to see several of the endangered Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrels. I actually saw seven of them. Here are two photographs that I was privileged to capture this afternoon.

One of the best times of the year

This is one of my favorite times of the year.

The college football championship was just decided — Roll Tide! And now the NFL playoffs are in full swing with two wildcard games completed today. College basketball is in full swing and the NHL is playing, too. Isn’t this a great time of year?

Photographically I will be shooting some upcoming basketball games and this week I will be in Chincoteague, Virginia to do some bird photography.

I love this time of year!