A Little Cred for Ursus Americanus

NorthernFocus

Brown bears get all the glory. So I thought I'd try to get a little cred for their smaller cousins. We were out on Prince William Sound this weekend and found a couple of salmon streams in black bear country. It was interesting to watch them feeding. There was a definate pecking order. As soon as one finished feeding and left the area, another less dominant bear would come down out of the woods and take its turn. There was never more than one at a time feeding as is often seen with brownies. We saw a dozen or so in total. Lighting was poor and it rained on and off. Only got decent images of a couple of them. Here's a few.

D300, 200-400VR, handheld

#1: This one kept his eye on the boat but just couldn't resist the lure of a creek full of salmon.


#2: This guy was so focused on the fish that he/she was oblivious to our presence a few yards away in the boat.


#3: Blackies can fish to ya know. Note the salmon fin sticking out of the water straight below the bear's snout.


#4: Sushi. This was at a different stream. This guy had really long hair and was reddish on the back.


#5: Doh! That darn shutter noise. Shortly after this shot he/she turned and quietly vanished into the shadows in BG.

Snowgirl

Excellent set and very clear!

Ric Grupe

The second shot!

Alaskan Rover

Great, CLEAR shots of that blackie!!!

I used to work for the ADFG (Alaska Dept of Fish and Game) and whenever we were doing field work out in the bush anywhere even NEAR a riparian zone, it was always the black-bears that we'd be more wary of. By their nature, they are fairly less predictable than a brown...although you can rely on absolutely NO bear to do what you'd expect all the time.

I was lucky enough to work with Dr. Fred Dean, the noted bear biologist at univ of Alaska-Fairbanks. and his black bear encounter stories were often a fair bit scarier than his Kodiak Brown bear stories! And that pretty much aligns with my own field experience as well.

But luckily, for the most part, they are more interested in a tasty fish dinner, than wasting energy faking a charge on a 2-legged. Just don't get in between them and their favorite salmon spot, that makes them a little testy. heh, heh.

NorthernFocus

Thanks for the comments, folks. I can tell you I was on my toes when going ashore to walk the dogs. We stayed well away from the streams to do so and also to do a bit of berry picking. Even at that there was plenty of bear sign everywhere

WillCAD

To me, a bear is a bear - brown bears, black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears, panda bears - they're all magnificent creatures and I enjoy seeing up-close photos of them in the wild.

Very nice set, Dan.

NorthernFocus

Thanks, Will. I share the same perspective. They'll all eat you, just some faster than others

Alaskan Rover

Just looked through your Northern Focus photo gallery, Northern. Great pics!!! Reminds me of home TOO much! Still "stuck" in Va. right now. Shouldn't say 'stuck', I guess...as Virginia is beautiful in it's own way...I guess EVERY place has it's own beauty, and only the blind would forsake one place for another. But I sure am missing AK right now...more and more every week. There is just something different about AK and Yukon and even northern BC...it defies putting in a mere category.

Whenever I see the photographs of Myron Rosenberg (he's still got a studio/shop on 5th Ave Anch, me thinks) I think to myself: "There's home". If there is ever a place that travels around with you, never far from the forefront of your mind, Alaska IS that place. Well, won't be long, now!

You've got a pic of a seiner named Ariel in your gallery. Know her well, she's out of Seward. A good crew.

NorthernFocus

Well, Rover, glad you enjoyed the galleries. This is a special place that can't be adequately described, it has to be experienced. Though it would be nice to see the sun.... :cry