Category: Travels

Me and my reflection

The water was beautiful and often creamy white from all of the calcium in minerals in the run off. This was Diver Bear (we named all the bears we photographed!) She was unusual because she dove into the water and swam underneath to hunt the salmon. She would stay under for close to a minute. The local guides said only she and her offspring have been seen to hunt his way. Other bears watch for the fish on top then dive and trap them with their claws.

Practice makes perfect..

You can see all of the red fish swimming around him. He actually catches one this time.

He’s pushing it to the ground to gain control. The seagulls seem to know when a bear has caught one and begin swooping down.

The fish is still flipping and flopping wildly.

You could hear the crunching of bones…we were THAT CLOSE! This bear ate it right there on the spot…

A WEEK of Alaska Bears

This shot of an adult brown bear boar was taken at Crescent Lake Alaska. Did you know that bears are members of the pig family? That is why males are called boars! I was in a about about 30ft from him. He was much more interested in the Sockeye that were spawning by the tens of thousands all around him.

A Week of Alaska

So here’s how my latest adventure started…. -Drive to SeaTac airport –Fly to Anchorage–Fly to Kenai on an 8 seater–Then take the above 9 seat float plane (if you count the copilots seat) who drops you off into the wilderness of Crescent Lake which has BEARS EVERYWHERE feeding on tasty sockeye and silvers. Then you get in a boat (if the passing bear doesn’t beat you to it.)

Then you spend 6 hours or so photographing all the area has to offer. It was AMAZING!!!! Hope you enjoy the next few weeks photos as much as I had taking them. We live in an INCREDIBLE WORLD…

Then you hopefully take a float plane out of the wilderness back to your fishing lodge in Kenai. I say hopefully, because the weather changes every 10 minutes in Alaska. We had to change our destination the first day because our first spot was fogged/stormed in. But they have times where they drop you off and then the weather changes and they cant get you out. Then you guide takes you inland and starts a fire and you all hunker down for the night (with ALL THOSE BEARS you were photographing all day!) Needless to say you don’t get much sleep.

The lodge was a lovely basic fishing lodge on the moose river. It had a group dining room and and outdoor bar.

Each cabin had two bedrooms, with a living room and bathroom and efficiency kitchen.

And beautiful sunrises and sunsets that were almost in the same spot (sunset)

Sunrise. Because you’re at the top of the world the sunrise and sunset are at almost the same spots…Very disorienting…but you barely have either because the sun is up for so long anyway…

This was a very experienced boar. He was very still, just moving his head around to focus in the water, then he’d pounce. Bears down have thumbs so they have to maneuver the wriggling fish by stepping onto it then using their claws/paws to lift it to their mouths.

The sockeye turn BIRGHT RED (these photos are not enhanced) when spawning.

This bear never took any chance of loosing his fish in the water and always carried it to shore and hid in the trees to eat it.